Recent action

Electronic waste bill signed into law

In the end-of-session legislative rush in January, Environment New Jersey and other groups successfully lobbied for the passage of New Jersey’s first electronic waste recycling bill.

The Electronic Waste Recycling Act, which passed overwhelming, will ban the disposal of electronic devices, like computers, copiers and television sets, laced with toxic metals that can leach into the environment. The bill will also set up a state-wide collection and recycling program.

“Old electronics tossed in the trash are modern-day Trojan horses, because they contain a toxic collection of heavy metals including lead and mercury,” said Dena Mottola Jaborska, Environment New Jersey’s executive director. “This bill will ensure that our old electronics are recycled.”

The bill will require retailers and the state to clearly post information on how and where to recycle products.

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Ocean protection bill passed

In January, the state Legislature took a step forward to protect the Shore by passing the Coastal and Ocean Protection Bill.

Environment New Jersey and the Coastal Ocean Coalition, a coalition focused on protecting the Shore’s natural resources, advocated its passage.

The legislation will create a nine-member Coastal and Ocean Protection Council to make recommendations to the Department of Environmental Protection on how to protect the Shore and the ocean’s resources.

In 2006, the Shore faced more than 130 days of beach closings due to run-off pollution from overdevelopment, and a third of the state’s saltwater fish and shellfish are being depleted or overfished.

One in five federally managed fish stocks, including the Atlantic cod shown here, are depleted to less than 20 percent of their historic populations.

Mission Statement

We all want clean air, clean water and open space. But it takes independent research and tough-minded advocacy to win concrete results for our environment, especially when powerful interests stand in the way of environmental progress. That’s the idea behind Environment New Jersey. We focus exclusively on protecting New Jersey’s air, water and open space. We speak out and take action at the local, state and national levels to improve the quality of our environment and our lives.

Credits

Photos: Page 1: top, iStockPhoto; middle, USGBC;
bottom, Dayna Bateman; Page 2: top, NJN; bottom, Hans-Petter Fjeld; Page 3: top left, NASA; top right, iStockPhoto; bottom, Rick Trilsh; Page 4: top, Shutterstock; bottom, NASA.

Editor: Dena Mottola Jaborska. Contributors: Matt Elliott, Doug O’Malley, Cecily Anderson, Justin Boyles, Zach Cullimore, Matthew Curtis, Sara Landis, Ethan Lavine, Jenna Perry Leschuk, Ryan Moeckly, Leana Nordstrom, Dan Platt, Nathan Proctor, Drew Stephan, Jenne Turner, Chris Wand. Publications Director: Richard J. Hannigan. Design: Public Interest GRFX (215) 985-1113.