Leaf collection is in the bag
Borough now requiring some residents to
bag leaves this fall
EATONTOWN — Residents on five highly traveled streets in the borough are now required to bag their leaves.
Under an ordinance passed unanimously by the Borough Council on Sept. 12, the bagging requirement will apply to residents of Broad Street, Monmouth Road, Tinton Avenue, Wall Street and Wyckoff Road.
Biodegradable paper bags will be made available to them free of charge by the borough in bundles of 25.
Councilman John M. Kleinfelder, who oversees public works and welfare, said later the intent of the ordinance is to make it easier to collect the leaves. He said it will be less hazardous on these busy streets to throw the bags into a trash truck that moves right along than to have a vacuum machine move much more slowly down the street, sucking up leaves piled at the curb.
Kleinfelder said the borough wants residents to use the biodegradable paper bags so that they will decompose naturally, along with the leaves, in the borough’s compost pile on Parker Road. That, he pointed out, will eliminate the need to employ people to slash open plastic bags so as to empty the leaves and throw away the plastic so it doesn’t get mixed in with the compost.
The borough has worked through The Arc of Monmouth County to hire people to slash open and dispose of plastic bags in the past, Kleinfelder explained. He said anyone in the borough who wants to bag leaves should pick up the biodegradable ones.
Kleinfelder actually believes the new ordinance is unnecessary, that its intent is covered by one passed several years ago, but he voted for it anyway.
In other action, the council approved the mayor’s appointment of Ben Caviglia to the Zoning Board of Adjustment.
Caviglia, who lives on Thornley Road, is retired. He formerly was a building manager for Union Carbide Corp. and said also he worked on the side as a home builder.
A borough resident since 1968, he ran unsuccessfully for election to the Borough Council in 1980 as a Democrat.
The council also approved four appointments to the Rent Monitoring Board. They include two tenant representatives, David Eckert of Lakeview Terrace and Raymond Molitoris of Eatoncrest Drive; one homeowner representative, Judith Roth of Rozbern Drive; and one landlord representative, Peter Weidhorn of Englishtown.
Two members of the board were appointed previously — Jerry Hopkins and Robin Suffill, both of Eatontown. In addition, the borough building inspector, Wallace Englehart, serves on the board.
Kleinfelder cast the lone nay in the 5-to-1 vote to approve the rent board appointments. He indicated he objected to Borough Attorney Gene Anthony selecting the appointees at the request of the mayor, rather than the mayor making the appointments.