Atlantic City is the ninth New Jersey municipality taking action against harmful and often toxic micro particles of dust caused by the building boom in the Garden State. In a unanimous 9-0 vote on February 19th 2025, the city council approved an ordinance that would require contractors to contain and dispose of construction sawdust and contaminants in order to protect the public’s health and the environment. This push to increase public safety and health, and to protect the environment, is being led by a coalition of conservation groups that seek to keep construction sites as clean as possible.
“Thousands of pounds of microplastic, fiberglass, and silica dust have already entered the environment. Cutting PVC’s and polymer products materials, such as TREX and AZEK, without proper containment procedures has gone on far too long. If steps aren’t taken to control construction waste, microparticles will continue to contaminate the environment, putting our health at risk.” says Stephen Jasiecki from the Margate Green Team, which first came up with the idea for a local ordinance that controls construction dust from the cutting plastic lumber, wood, vinyl, PVC piping, and other materials. These dust particles pollute the ground, our drinking water, and even the air we breathe.
Retired chemical engineer and now Margate realtor Sherri Lilienfeld brought the idea to her town’s Sustainable NJ Green Team nearly a year ago when Jasiecki shared with her photos of microplastic contamination in the bay that he observed while kayaking. Once she understood that the debris was coming from contamination of stormwater off construction sites, she put her engineering hat on and thought that there had to be a solution to this problem. She saw that contractors needed to contain the contamination from sawing and grinding, and clean up their worksites every day. Says Lilienfeld, “The exteriors of homes are now mostly made from plastic, ‘low maintenance’ materials. These materials generate a high volume of microplastic and other unsafe particles at work sites. It literally looks like it snowed after a day’s work. But this ‘contractor's snow’ is not good for the environment, and doesn’t decompose like wood. It's ‘forever plastic,’ polluting our air, water, soil, and ultimately our bodies.”
“With development increasing each year, it’s important that water quality and human health are protected in the construction industry. This ordinance has the potential to stop millions of tiny microplastics and construction dust particles from entering our waterways and impacting the health of our communities. Clean Ocean Action is honored to have played even a small part in this ordinance’s development and looks forward to seeing its positive impacts on water quality throughout the state,” says Toni Groet, the South Jersey Coordinator of Clean Ocean Action.
Soon after, other New Jersey towns, including Longport, Ventnor, and Egg Harbor City, passed similar ordinances. The South Jersey Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation began organizing a coalition of like-minded organizations to campaign for the legislation across the Garden State. “This is a great example of New Jersey leading the country to keep our residents and environment safe. These local ordinances should become state law, and Surfrider will be sharing this policy with partners in other states across the US,” says CeCe Carter, the Mid-Atlantic Regional Manager at the Surfrider Foundation.
Construction dust reduction has become a policy priority for Beyond Plastics NJ. Chapter Co-Chair Lois Kraus stresses, “While it’s widely researched that exposure to construction dust increases the risk of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, it’s less understood how microplastics dust and other toxic particles impact our water and soil. These tiny particles, smaller than 5mm, can migrate through the environment and be inhaled or ingested by contractors, people walking in proximity, as well as their pets. Plastic and other hazardous substances in construction material may not only enter waterways, eventually ending up in our oceans, but can pollute the same soil we grow our food in and that our children play in.”
And other groups have joined the coalition as well. Britta Forsberg, the Executive Director of Save Barnegat Bay states “Plastic construction waste is an often-overlooked but significant source of pollution in Barnegat Bay and beyond. Microplastics and construction dust are not only harmful to our waterways but also pose risks to human health and wildlife. This ordinance is a long-overdue solution that holds construction projects accountable for the debris they generate, ensuring cleaner air, water, and soil. We strongly encourage all coastal towns and communities across New Jersey to adopt similar measures to protect our environment, safeguard public health, and preserve our natural resources for future generations.”
Coalition members include:
For more information, contact CeCe Carter, the Mid-Atlantic Regional Manager at the Surfrider Foundation.