Have you been arrested by the Ketchup Police yet? Have you been accosted by the superhero cop wearing the ketchup and mustard colored cape? Bruce Patterson wants you to believe that with the Garwood Council’s recent adoption of the ordinance prohibiting restaurants from throwing single use utensils and condiment packages into your take-out bag that you will be sent to prison. As with so many statements that Mr. Patterson utters, it is just a lot of hyperbole.

As I am the person who brought this ordinance to Councilman Kearney’s attention, I must be the person to defend its adoption. This ordinance was/ is reviewed as a win-win-win – 1) It saves the restaurateurs money because they spend less money buying the ‘stuff’; 2) it reduces litter on our streets because there’s less ‘stuff’ for people to throw on the streets; and 3) it reduces ‘stuff’ going to our landfills or burned in our incinerators when people bring it home, don’t use it, and throw it in their garbage cans. Councilman Kearney brought it up at a Borough small business meeting, and the two restaurant representatives said that they already stopped automatically throwing ‘stuff’ into customer’s take out bags. New York City enacted this law years ago. Red Bank just adopted it; other towns will soon be adopting it too.

It is estimated that 40 billion individual single-use utensils are discarded every day in the United States. The World Economic Forum estimated that in 2019 the production and incineration of plastic was equivalent to 189 coal fired plants, furthering the negative effects of water and air pollution for those who live near garbage disposal sites. I visited the Clark Burger King recently where for 4 chicken sandwiches and French fries, the server literally gave me 25 ketchup packets and 30 napkins. I obviously didn’t take them. Reducing waste is a social betterment; are you opposed to social betterment, Mr. Patterson?

Mr. Paterson blames ‘Progressives’ for the enaction of these laws. Progressives – of which I claim to be a proud enthusiast – support worker compensation, improved child labor laws, minimum wage legislation, a graduated income tax, a cleaner environment, and the right of women to vote. I guess Mr. Patterson is opposed to these laws also.

Mr. Patterson offers that wait staff is going to be sent to jail for asking customers if they want a straw. Maybe Mr. Patterson isn’t aware of it, but the staff is already not supposed to offer straws before setting glasses before customers. Have you seen any wait staff hauled out in chains?

Any customer who wants singleuse utensils or condiment packages can still get them; all they must do is ask. Many restaurants have already started placing condiment packages on counters on the way out for people to take what they want. Signs will be installed at restaurants advising that customers need to ask for condiment packaging. Enforcement of this law will be based on customer education, not police prosecution.

One walk along NorthAvenue is not going to show anyone the amount of waste that his ordinance is designed to reduce. But, Mr. Paterson, and anyone else who wants to assist in cleaning up North Avenue, the Garwood Democratic Club’s next North Avenue cleanup is scheduled for Saturday, April 20. I urge anyone who wants to help to contact me; you will have to listen to an 8-minute safety program first, which I can send to you.

Bill Nierstedt Garwood