RECYCLING
ORDINANCE
The South Plainfield
governing body adopted an amended recycling ordinance at its March 10 public meeting. This ordinance conforms to Middlesex County’s
updated Solid Waste Management Plan. The
County revised its Plan last year to comply with new requirements in the New Jersey Solid
Waste Plan, which the Department of Environmental Protection updated in 2006.
The changes aim to increase
the percentage of solid waste that is recycled instead of buried in landfills. New Jersey has never met its goal of recycling 50%
of municipal solid waste, even though recycling has been mandatory in New Jersey since
1987. We came closest in 1995 with a 45%
state-wide recycling rate.
South Plainfield’s recycling rate has hovered
around the 40% mark. The amended ordinance
includes several provisions intended to increase the amount of solid waste that is
diverted from the landfill.
The following solid waste
materials are mandatory recyclables that cannot be disposed of with the regular trash:
For residential and
commercial solid waste generators: Newspaper, Aluminum Cans, Glass Containers, Steel Cans,
Plastic Bottles, Corrugated Cardboard, Mixed Paper, Textiles, Leaves, Brush, Motor Oil,
Masonry and Paving Material, Rechargeable Batteries, Tires, and White Goods (appliances).
For commercial solid waste
generators: electronics and fluorescent bulbs.
For commercial construction:
wood scrap.
For warehouses, retail
establishments and supermarkets with twenty-five or more employees: plastic film (stretch
wrap, shrink wrap, plastic shopping bags).
Another provision requires
applicants for new developments to submit a recycling plan to the Planning Board. Often in the past, buildings were designed without
enough space for sorting and storing
recyclables separately from trash. The new
ordinance does not include a provision for source-separation exemptions. Existing exemptions expire March 31 in accordance
with the County Plan, and will not be renewed.
The Recycling Ordinance is available for review on the ORDINANCE 1812