| DEP HOLDS
STATEWIDE PUBLIC MEETINGS ON SOLID WASTE PLAN TO HELP REVITALIZE
RECYCLING EFFORTS
(05/62) TRENTON -- Department of Environmental Protection
(DEP) Commissioner Bradley M. Campbell today announced the start
of a series of public meetings to comment on a new solid waste
management plan for New Jersey that focuses on boosting municipal
recycling rates.
"To invigorate New Jersey's recycling program, we intend
to bring the discussion to all parts of the state for new ideas,"
said Commissioner Campbell. "Outreach to county and local
recycling leaders is vital to help recycling regain a prominent
role in our everyday lives."
DEP solid waste and recycling officials will meet with municipal
and county solid waste managers, elected officials, environmental
commission members, recycling coordinators, school board representatives
and the general public. The meetings began today with the first
session for Middlesex and Union counties. Also, this week sessions
will be held for Passaic, Bergen, Essex and Hudson counties and
the New Jersey Meadowlands. A schedule is attached and more dates
will be scheduled.
Two public hearings also will be held as the plan moves along
to final adoption, which is scheduled for fall 2005. The plan
update can be viewed on or downloaded from the Department's Web
site at www.state.nj.us/dep/dshw.
As part of the formal public comment period on the plan, the
first public hearing will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday, June 2
at the Rutgers University EcoComplex, 1200 Florence-Columbus Road,
Bordentown. (Directions to the EcoComplex can be found at www.ecocomplex.rutgers.edu).
The second hearing will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday, June 7 at
the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission, One DeKorte Park, Lyndhurst.
(Directions to the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission can be found
at www.meadowlands.state.nj.us).
Written and e-mail comments on the plan may be submitted by July
15, 2005 to the addresses listed below. At the conclusion of the
public comment period, DEP will review and prepare a summary of
the comments and provide responses to them along with a final
plan.
Commissioner Campbell released a draft update to the state solid
waste management plan in March 2005 at the Association for New
Jersey Recyclers annual meeting. Due to court-related changes
in waste disposal and decreased compliance with municipal recycling,
Commissioner Campbell proposed specific measures to better manage
the state's 20 million tons of waste generated each year, with
a priority on waste reduction and recycling.
In order to meet the state's goal of recycling 50 percent of
the municipal solid waste stream, an additional 1.7 million tons
of material must be recycled based on current statewide rates.
The draft state plan quantifies this estimate not only on a statewide
basis, but also by what is required from each county. The plan
also includes an estimate of the statewide increase needed in
terms of tonnage by material, such as newspaper, corrugated cardboard
and food waste.
All 21 counties will be required to update their solid waste
management plans to reflect the new initiatives in the state plan.
Each county will have to adopt a new plan within 270 days of formal
adoption of the statewide solid waste management plan. The county
plans will have to identify local strategies to achieve the recycling
tonnage target identified for each county. Also, the county plans
will need to include methods for public promotion of new opportunities
and methods for enforcing local recycling mandates.
Putting a comprehensive enforcement program in place will be
essential to meeting the recycling goals. The county plan updates
will identify the county and/or municipal programs responsible
for enforcement of the recycling mandates, specify the minimum
number of recycling inspections that will be undertaken annually
and detail penalties to be imposed for non-compliance.
The new plan aims to expand recycling opportunities for various
materials at schools, multi-family housing complexes, and small-
and medium-sized businesses.
In 2003, New Jersey generated 19.9 million tons of solid waste,
which includes construction debris and scrap iron. Of that total,
10.4 million tons or 52 percent was recycled with 9.5 million
tons sent for disposal. Of the 9.5 million tons disposed, 1.5
million or 8 percent of the total waste generated went to resource
recovery facilities, 3.8 million or 20 percent was disposed at
landfills located in New Jersey and 3.7 million or 19 percent
was sent for out-of-state disposal. The municipal solid waste
stream recycling rate stood at 32 percent, down from a high of
45 percent in 1995.
A list of the meetings and hearings follows:
Solid Waste Management Plan Meeting Schedule
| 18-May-05 |
Middlesex and Union counties -- 10:00 AM
Fire Academy Amphitheater, Sayreville |
| 19-May-05 |
Passaic County -- 10:00 AM
Passaic County Administration Building, 401 Grand Street,
Paterson |
| 20-May-05 |
NJMC and Bergen, Essex and Hudson counties -- 10:00 AM
Meadowlands Auditorium |
| 23-May-05 |
Somerset County - 10:00 AM
Administration Building, 20 Grove Street, Somerville
|
| 24-May-05 |
Warren County -- 7:30 PM
Frelinghuysen Twp. School, 780 Rt. 94, Johnsonburg
|
| 24-May-05 |
Morris County -- 2:00 PM
MCMUA's Administrative Office, 300 Mendham Rd., Morris Twp.
|
| 8-Jun-05 |
Salem County - time and location to be announced
|
| 9-Jun-05 |
Burlington County - 10:00 AM and 6:30 PM
Rutgers EcoComplex
|
| 21-Jun-05 |
Monmouth County - 9:30 AM
County Reclamation Center, Tinton Falls
|
| 8-Jul-05 |
Ocean County - 9:30 AM
Ocean County Administration Bldg 101 Hooper Avenue, Toms River
|
Written and e-mail comments on the Plan update may be submitted
by July 15, 2005 to the following address:
Robert Goodwin
NJ Department of Environmental Protection
Site Remediation and Waste Management
Division of Solid and Hazardous Waste
Bureau of Recycling and Planning
P.O. Box 414
Trenton, NJ 08625
Or email to: Robert.Goodwin@dep.state.nj.us.
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