N.J. Towns Curb Their Enthusiasm for Recycling

BY South Jersey Times Editorial Board / nj.com

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In recent years, though, municipal markets have been threatened by a declining resale market. The programs stopped providing enough revenue to pay for themselves. The biggest jolt was a 2107 decision by China to stop taking in mixed and often dirty shiploads of U.S. paper and plastic.

Still, curbside recycling programs have survived, even if they have not thrived. Until now it seems.

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“Recycling is a huge burden. Really, it’s a complete waste of time,” according to Paulsboro Mayor Gary Stevenson. “Ninety-eight percent of our loads are rejected. Then we have to pay more to have it hauled to a trash facility.”

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One recycling consultant, Wayne DeFeo of Warren Township based DeFeo Associates says, “The problem is all over the state.” He says towns could establish in-house collection services to reduce contractors’ fees, but that comes with start-up costs and equipment delays. Another option is to return to making homeowners separate different items before placing them at curbside, which might result in fewer rejected loads than single-stream. The tradeoff is that it would likely harm participation rates.

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