Board Approves Single-Use Plastics Ban for Camden County Events and Facilities

What to Know

Single-use plastics will be banned in all Camden County, New Jersey, facilities and at all Camden County-sponsored events.
The ban will go into effect on January 1, 2020 and alternatives will be rolled out throughout next year.
The ban does not impact private businesses.

Single-use plastics will be banned in all Camden County, New Jersey, facilities and at all Camden County-sponsored events, starting next year. The Freeholder Board approved the ban by resolution during its October meeting.

The ban will go into effect on January 1, 2020 and alternatives will be rolled out throughout next year, officials said.

The ban will include all single-use plastic bags, plastic straws, stirrers, utensils, Styrofoam and bottled water in single-serve containers (one liter or less). It will also include balloons which were banned via a previous resolution passed in February 2018.

The ban will impact vendors who work with Camden County, Camden County College’s bookstore and cafeteria, the Camden County Jail and Juvenile Detention Center, the Camden County Library System, all county-sponsored events, vending machines in county facilities, and the Camden County restaurant.

The ban does not impact private businesses.

“The research speaks for itself on the impact of plastics to our oceans, wildlife, and other natural resources,” Jonathan Young, a freeholder and liaison to the Office of Sustainability, said. “We cannot deny reality any longer and must begin taking whatever steps we have to reduce our reliance on these harmful materials. The Board is committed to finding environmentally-friendly alternatives that can serve the same functions at a fraction of the cost to our planet’s health.”