James Giannell took his place at the council table, and a free-range plastic bag blew around out on Monmouth Street.
Notes from last night’s bimonthly meeting of the Red Bank Borough Council:
• An ordinance to ban plastic bags commonly used by supermarkets and small stores is undergoing yet another overhaul. Introduced for at least the second time in a year two weeks ago, the measure is now being tweaked to “specifically delineate the bags we’re trying to eliminate” and will have to be re-introduced next month, says sponsor Councilman Mike DuPont.
Earlier this month, Councilwoman Grace Cangemi questioned whether the proposed ban — which has the support of Foodtown, Whole Foods and other merchants, says DuPont — would have left supermarket bags alone, because it would have banned only non-recyclable plastic bags. Existing bags are now recyclable.
At the time, DuPont termed the question “obstructionist.” After last night’s meeting, he said “what I didn’t like was that I didn’t get any feedback for nine months” and heard Cangemi’s concern only after the bill had been reintroduced.
Mayor Pasquale Menna says the next version of the ordinance will have “some substantial changes, both from the legal and public policy standpoints.”
• James Giannell joined the council as the replacement for John Curley, who resigned in July when he moved out of town. Giannell is expected to serve only four months, and to be replaced by one of the top two vote-getters among four council candidates on the November ballot.
• The council adopted an amendment to a parking-permit ordinance that redbankgreen reported on yesterday. Specifically, the council eliminated a requirement that homeowners on permit parking streets demonstrate they don’t have off-street parking in order to qualify for a permit.
“We found, as we were going through our ordinances, that it wasn’t being enforced,” attorney Tom Hall told the audience.
Private attorney Bill McCarter has filed suit in July on behalf of a postal worker over the permits; in his lawsuit, he spotlighted the borough’s failure to enforce the requirement.
• The council approved the “I Build, U Build, We Build” Family Day at Count Basie Field on September 20; a fire prevention expo hosted by the Red Bank Volunteer Fire Department in the White Street parking lot on October 19; and the Red Bank Jazz & Blues Festival next May 31 through June 2.
• DuPont said the advisory committee that was created to explore the possibility of Red Bank creating a community center would have a full report of recommendations to the council in September.
Here’s the agenda.
This bag wordsmithing is nonsense. What does it matter whether the bag in the photo above is recyclable? If it doesn't GET recycled, as the bag above obviously hasn't, it becomes LITTER. Isn't THAT the key issue on the table here?
Well if the issue is litter shouldn't we be banning other things? I see many soda cans, newspapers and other assorted crap blowing around town.
Plastic bags have many problems:
- litter
- non-compostable
- danger to wildlife
- made of petroleum
So it's best to bring your own bags when you go shopping. And that's why the Borough is offering residents a free reusable bag in exchange for at least 5 plastic bags. Visit the Environmental Commission table this Thursday night (8/28) at the Riverside Gardens Park, or this Sunday morning (8/31) at the Farmers Market at The Galleria. Come and get yours!
Hey Boris,
A recent survey of Red Bank residents has indicated that many use their plastic bags to lift dog crap. They find it far more efficient than the pooper-scooper and much more sanitary than the "roll it up in a paper towel and stick it in your pocket" method. I spoke at length with Amy Cleanshite, a resident of Irving who implemented the second method until she washed her jeans with the rolled up waste still in the pocket….. And she has a Great Dane.
The dog walking community which is extremely active at the voting booth I will have you know, has a few questions about reusable bags:
Are these bags ok for the poop lifting task as well? If so, what are the best chemicals for cleaning the reusable bags? (As we all know, dog shit smells like shit and attracts flies.) And when they bring the five plastic bags to exchange, do they need to first take out the dog crap or do you want that as well?
If Waverly's new beauty his spoiled by frustrated dog walkers who opt to abandon piles of canine feces on the Street and sidewalks, I am not going to be a happy resident. Loooooooook out!!
Does anyone know the specifics of the ordinance that DuPont is trying to pass?
Does it mean that only businesses in Red Bank will not be allowed to use plastic bags?
Will my news paper continue to be delivered in a plastic bags to protect it from the elements?
Will I be allowed to continue shopping at Wegman’s and bringing my groceries into town in a plastic bag?
Will my neighbors no longer be allowed to pick up dog crap with plastic bags? Or will they be forced to use paper bags, or just leave it where it falls?
And if the Red Bank stores are not allowed to provide plastic bags any longer then I assume they will be providing paper bags because not every consumer will be dragging around their natty little sack from the Environmental Commission.
Has anyone considered that paper bags are more costly to the environment than plastic ones? http://www.reusablebags.com/facts.php?id=7
Obviously the best choice is take your own containers and not use the ones supplied at stores, but this is not always an option. And I don’t think creating an ordinance to ban the most cost effective option for an option which provides no added benefits is ridiculous for businesses, consumers, and residents.
Stop being part of the problem and start being part of the solution.
http://www.leonardodicaprio.org/pledge/
Maybe if Mr, DuPont brought as much passion to a real issue, the budget, as this red herring, our finances would come off the endangered list. And to repeat "Ohh's" question to Mr. Murphy: police checkpoints at every street entering town to search for illicit bags? What a waste of everyone's time.
finally a post that hits it on the head, Work on the real issues Mike, get the damn budget back to real numbers, get the health care issue back on the table and work that, its certainly better than plastic bags. Kuddos for Murphy with Ashes, shows that its not just Sonny 9maybe they shall join forces), Come on council members, the budget, the taxes, THE WASTE, get with the real issues not feel good crap.
The Hub had a DuPont quote, some of it missing, which includes: "We're trying to eliminate the plastic bags from convenience stores, food stores…. Not those bags that were specifically made for the businesses." (He appeared to specifically exempt CocoPari and Tiffany, though I can't say for sure because part of the quote was missing.)
Go to Foodtown or WaWa or 7-11, the plastic bag you get has the name of the store on it. Are those places exempt, too? If so, then the ordinance seems to be targeting mom-and-pop stores.
Is a plastic Tiffany bag less of a problem than a plastic WaWa bag or a nameless plastic bag from a corner grocery?
It's time to give up on this ordinance. It's turning into something both toothless and convoluted.
Let's move on.