Despite the massive impact of pollution, towns across the Jersey Shore are making progress toward a cleaner future.
Environmental Health News reported that areas across New Jersey are passing ordinances to limit the microplastic pollution issue in the region.
The legislation wasn't an overnight occurrence. Starting in 2014, Sherri Lilienfeld shared photos of her front lawn on Facebook. While it looked like a snow-covered yard, the dusting was actually plastic particles from a construction site down the road.
After a journalist caught a glimpse of her photo, and a series of advocacy groups also caught wind, the journey to passing ordinances across 16 towns went into effect.
While the ordinance requires contractors to invest in infrastructure to keep dust and other debris from blowing from their sites, it also saves the contractors money in cleanup.
Regional manager for the Surfrider Foundation, an organization that helped push for the bill, CeCe Carter told Environmental Health News, "[This legislation is] really critical. The people cutting the materials themselves are immediately at risk. They're bending over the table saws and breathing this plastic in. People in the neighborhood [are at risk] too."
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Plastic pollution is a growing issue. It can cause harm to wildlife, end up in waters, and often break down into microplastics, which exacerbate these issues tenfold and have been linked to health issues in humans.
While these New Jersey ordinances are a small step toward curbing the plastic pollution problem, the plan is to take the legislation to the state level eventually.
"Are we going to eliminate this problem? No," Lilienfeld said, per Environmental Health News. "But every little bit helps."
To do your part in preventing plastic pollution, you can ditch single-use plastics. Not only are these products non-biodegradable, but they're more likely to break down in response to heat and, in turn, infiltrate your body or wherever they end up once you dispose of them.
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Some easy ways to turn away from plastic use include bringing your own to-go boxes to restaurants or investing in a reusable water bottle. You can also help with the existing plastic littering problem by contributing to a community clean-up or other local climate endeavors.
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