At a work session on waste management during a meeting of Princeton Council this past Monday, members of the Princeton Environmental Commission urged members of the governing body to step up measures that would reduce trash and waste.

One priority stressed by the Commission and echoed by a few members of the public is an ordinance that would require customers to pay a fee for the single use of plastic or paper bags at supermarkets and stores. Other measures suggested included leaf management, more composting, and helping businesses with their recycling efforts.

“We need to do something different,” PEC chair Matt Wasserman told Council. “The status quo isn’t acceptable when it comes to waste management. There is a lot we should be doing from a waste perspective that we’re not doing here as a town.”

The good news, Mr. Wasserman said, is that “the winds of change are actually blowing.” More than 1,000 homeowners in Princeton are now willing to pay a fee to compost. The town has been recognized with Silver Status by the organization Sustainable Jersey, and a majority of the voters in the most recent election said they were in favor of charging a fee for the use of plastic bags.

Mr. Wasserman recommended that Council convene regular meetings with the organization Sustainable Princeton, the town’s Municipal Green Team, and the Department of Public Works. Annual waste reduction targets should be created, and current ordinances should be enforced. “Make it easy to compost and recycle, and harder to landfill,” he said.