The Waste Reduction Committee’s main mission is to support the City of Bethlehem in achieving it’s goal of zero waste to landfills by 2040.

Waste Reduction Committee tasks and ideas:

  1. Research and propose a Single Use Plastic Bag Ban or Fee.

  2. City-wide composting program.

  3. Educate the public on ways to reduce waste.

  4. Help local restaurants reduce single-use plastic.

Plastic Bag Ordinance

Our Waste Reduction Committee drafted a proposal for an ordinance banning single use plastic bags in the City of Bethlehem. The EAC sent a letter recommending adoption of such an ordinance in February 2019. On June 28, 2019, the State of Pennsylvania enacted legislation as part of the budget package to prohibit such bans. The State’s ban on plastic bag bans ended on June 30, 2020 and with a window of 10 days before the new budget was passed. In a letter dated March 2020, the EAC recommended that the City of Bethlehem pass an ordinance regarding single use plastics to take effect in July 2020, which could be grandfathered in before next budget is passed.

Beginning December 8, 2021, municipalities were no longer be prohibited from implementing bans on single use plastics. Therefore in September 2021, we recommended that City Council enact a ban on single use plastic bags and submitted a sample ordinance for consideration. City Council provided the EAC with a list of questions and concerns regarding the ordinance. The Waste Reduction Committee, with the help of PennEnvironment, researched City Council’s concerns and submitted a report with their findings in February 2023. City Councilmember Rachel Leon met with the Waste Reduction Committee and explained that City Council did not want to take on the plastic bag ban initiative at the current time.