The push to enact a statewide prohibition on thin plastic bags, plastic straws and foam food containers may have stalled in Trenton, but a campaign is underway to get more towns beyond the Jersey Shore to pass local bans.

Glen Rock became the latest of a small number of North Jersey municipalities to join the anti-plastic movement when its council adopted an ordinance last week prohibiting retailers in town from giving customers single-use plastic bags.

Environmental groups pushing for local action said they are trying to get more inland towns like Glen Rock to adopt such bans — a move that they hope will spur legislators in Trenton to reignite efforts for a statewide ban.

Of the 50 local ordinances statewide banning plastic products or balloons, about 40 of them have been passed by towns on or near the Jersey Shore, where plastic litter has become a major problem on beaches and bayfronts.

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"It's so much more than just a shore issue," said Jennifer Coffey, executive director of the Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions, which is pushing for local action. "Trash doesn't stay within municipal boundaries and all waterways lead to the ocean. So it's important that we get towns all across New Jersey to join this effort."

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On Thursday, Coffey joined officials in Glen Rock to celebrate the passage of more than 50 local ordinances. There have been a number of recent moves made by North Jersey towns to regulate plastic:

Bergen County: Teaneck was one of the first towns in North Jersey to pass restrictions of plastic bags with a 2017 ordinance that would charge customers 5 cents a bag. But enforcement has been tabled while township officials wait to see what happens with the proposed statewide ban. Meanwhile, Leonia voted last year to ban polystyrene food and beverage containers.

Essex County: Maplewood is poised to pass a plastic bag ordinance this month while Montclair's draft ordinance is being reviewed by town officials.

Morris County: several towns expressed interest in passing bans at a recent meeting of local officials and ANJEC.

Hudson County: The state's second largest municipality - Jersey City - will begin enforcing its bag ban on June 28. A ban in neighboring Hoboken began in January.

The moves are being made to combat a global problem with serious local implications.

New Jersey has become inundated with plastics pollution, both seen and unseen.

More than 80 percent of the litter picked up on large-scale beach cleanups is plastic. Almost 166 million pieces of microscopic plastic floats in the waterways of New Jersey and New York. And scientists have found microplastics in some of the most pristine rivers and creeks, including the upper Raritan and Passaic rivers.

Meanwhile, an estimated 4.5 billion plastic bags and other products are given to New Jersey shoppers each year.

While the plastics industry and other business groups are lobbying to defeat a statewide ban, little attention has been paid at the local level by opponents of the bans.

Glen Rock's ordinance passed with little opposition. It bans thin plastic bags at retail establishments and for take-out and deliveries from restaurants beginning Jan. 1.

Mayor Bruce Packer and Councilwoman Arati Kreibich, who led the push in her town, said that while some mom-and-pop stores had opposed the measure, many in the business community were fine with the restrictions.

While supermarkets prefer a statewide standard for plastics regulation so all stores are on an even playing field, some chains like ShopRite have had to implement new bag policies in towns to conform with the local regulation.

Kreibich said she expects other Bergen County towns to adopt similar bans.

"We've had so much interest from other towns, political leaders and just residents coming up to us," she said. "We're not the only ones thinking about this."

Officials in neighboring Ridgewood intend to introduce a ban on single-use plastic bags in May.

Councilman Mike Sedon said the ordinance would go into effect six months after passage, giving business owners time to adjust.

“It’s not going to solve climate change, but at a local level, there are issues with litter in the parks and in our waterways," Sedon said. "They clog up storm drains and cause backups. The benefit would ultimately be to steer people to cloth and heavier reusable bags.”

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Code Enforcement Officer Tracy Jeffery and Building Department Director Thomas Yotka suggested that the first penalty be a warning, and that owners face fines for violations ranging from $50 to $200 for the next three offenses. Additional fines would be determined by a judge.

In other towns "it's been successful, and people don’t mind it," said Ellie Gruber, a member of the Ridgewood Environmental Advisory Committee. "They get used to it and bring their bags."

Unlike other municipal ordinances, Ridgewood's proposed measure would not place a fee on paper bags. Supporters of bag bans say the paper fee is key to get customers to bring their own reusable bags.

Deputy Mayor Susan Knudsen has expressed concern that cities and counties in California were sued by the plastic bag industry for passing bans.