OFFICIAL SITE OF THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY
Plastics Advisory Council
First-Year Report First-Year Executive Summary
Second-Year Report Second-Year Executive Summary and Major Findings
Advisory body, appointed by the Governor
The “Get Past Plastic Law” established within the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) the Plastics Advisory Council (PAC). The PAC is charged with monitoring the implementation of the Law and evaluate its effectiveness in reducing single-use plastics and plastic waste in the State. The PAC is required to report on the implementation and effectiveness of the law and provide recommendations for legislative or administrative action to improve the implementation or effectiveness of the Law.
Additionally, the Law requires the PAC to study:
- the environmental and public health impacts of single-use plastics and micro-plastics;
- healthy and environmentally-friendly alternatives to single-use plastics;
- strategies and policies to increase the recyclability of plastics and reduce the amount of plastic entering the environment;
- the technological feasibility of increasing recycled content of consumer plastics and expanding the types of plastics that may be manufactured from recycled material;
- and ways to enhance the development and expansion of markets of post-consumer recycled plastic, including State and local purchasing and procurement practices.
Members of the Plastics Advisory Council
The council shall consist of 16 members as follows:
- the Commissioner of Environmental Protection, who shall serve ex officio, or the commissioner’s designee;
- the Commissioner of Health, who shall serve ex officio, or the commissioner’s designee;
- the Secretary of Agriculture, who shall serve ex officio, or the secretary’s designee; and
- the following members appointed by the Governor:
- two members of the academic community with expertise on the issues of single-use plastics and plastic waste;
- four members representing the environmental community;
- four members representing stores and food service businesses in the State;
- one member representing the polystyrene foam industry;
- one member representing the recycling industry; and
- one member representing local governments.
The term of office of each public member shall be three years. Each member shall serve until a successor has been appointed and qualified, and vacancies shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointments for the remainder of the unexpired term. A member is eligible for reappointment to the council. The members of the council shall serve without compensation, but shall be eligible for necessary and reasonable expenses incurred in the performance of their official duties within the limits of funds appropriated or otherwise made available for the council’s purposes.
Plastics Advisory Council Member List
| Name | Affiliation |
|---|---|
| Chairperson | |
| Cindy Zipf | Executive Director, Clean Ocean Action |
| Vice Chairperson | |
| Gary Sondermeyer | Vice President of Operations, Bayshore Family of Companies |
| Members | |
| Christine Cassidy | Dart Container |
| Nandini Checko | Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions |
| Lauren Craig | Coca-Cola Company |
| Jeanne Cretella | Landmark Hospitality |
| Judith Enck | Beyond Plastics, Bennington College |
| Tim Fekete | Department of Agriculture |
| Janine MacGregor | Department of Environmental Protection |
| Charles Malaniak | LKQ Corporation |
| Melissa Miles | New Jersey Environmental Justice Alliance |
| Loel Muetter | Department of Health |
| Amanda Nesheiwat | Hudson County |
| Mary Ellen Peppard | New Jersey Food Council |
| Beth Ravit | Rutgers University |
| John Weber | Borough of Bradley Beach |
“The Plastic Advisory Council represents a cross section of business, environmental, academia and agency representatives who are uniquely qualified to address the complex, vexing, and important questions about plastic waste including assessing environmental and public health concerns as well as identifying possible solutions through reduction and recycling. This First Year Report highlights the successful implementation of the law and sets forth a robust and comprehensive agenda for the coming year which is a testament to the Council members’ outstanding due diligence and commitment to the mission,” – Cindy Zipf, Chair of PAC, Clean Ocean Action.
“It is our honor to share the New Jersey Plastics Advisory Council Second-Year Report, prepared by the PAC with outstanding dedication and support from the DEP Division of Sustainable Waste Management. It highlights the successful implementation of the Get Past Plastic Law at reducing litter and waste production. It also completes the assessment and makes recommendations regarding our initial 20 Opportunities for Action, and beyond. Over the past year, the dedicated, collegial, and collaborative PAC members and DEP staff spoke with subject matter experts, and held broad stakeholder focus groups and education forums to ensure this report provides the best and brightest recommendations and state of current science”. – Cindy Zipf, Chair of the PAC, Clean Ocean Action
The NJ Plastics Advisory Council hosted an Expert Virtual Panel Discussion evaluating bottle redemption programs.
Tuesday, March 26
9:15 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
YouTube Video Recordings
Contact
For any questions or concerns about the Plastics Advisory Council and its work, please contact Julia Rossi at singleuseplastics@njdepwptest.net, or call (609) 984-4250
