The passage of the Environmental Justice Law was long overdue. Of course, its intention is sound…no one community should incur the greatest amount of industry when that industry benefits us all. However, while a good intention, it in fact results in companies looking in other locations to site facilities, the result is that there will simply not be new recycling facilities sited in New Jersey.

Indeed, we have not sited a major solid waste facility or new recycling facilities in this state for over 25 years. The latest delay is for a food waste composting operation that was proposed on private property in Warren County. I won’t get into the details, but the article attached sums this up a bit. This is not an Environmental Justice Community, it is an industrial zone, and it is a compliant property. However, the residents here (nearly a 1/3 of a mile away) have more resources, and as such have put pressure on the local system to deny the operation.

Without an accurate factual basis, the initial attempt at siting has been recommended against by the local Solid Waste Advisory Council. Indeed, it was a political decision that violates the Solid Waste Management Act.

If New Jersey does not change the system to allow for facts to drive siting, which by the way the EJ law calls for, we will never achieve our recycling goals.

(In the interest of full disclosure, I have worked with the party trying to site the facility. These views are mine, and do not represent any company)

Read The Full Article Here:
Food-scrap recycler proposed in Warren County is rejected by advisory council