(TRENTON) – Assembly Environment and Solid Waste Committee Chairperson Nancy Pinkin issued the following statement Monday on the release of her bill (A-3770) out of committee, which would require all New Jersey State buildings to source, separate, and recycle any aluminum, corrugated cardboard, glass, paper or plastic waste:
“The State House is the people’s house and the people want to recycle. On any given day, hundreds of advocates, activists, citizens, students, staff and legislators use our state capital to do the people’s work. When they go to recycle the water bottles or cans that they purchased from our vending machines, or the coffee cup they grabbed on their walk over, there is nowhere to dispose of it properly.”
“We are facing a crisis with the amount of trash our country is accumulating. We need to keep our personal use of plastic at the forefront of our minds and in the choices we make every day. As a society we have changed our behavior to recycle as an instinct, and when the proper receptacle is not there, it’s counter-intuitive. It is scary to imagine the number of single use plastics that have been sent to landfills from our government buildings.”
Additionally, State entities would be required as well to provide adequate receptacles, signage, information, education, and staffing at buildings owned, leased, or operated by state entities to ensure compliance with the bill.
The bill now heads to the Speaker’s desk.