EAST BRUNSWICK — The township will receive well over $4 million a year over the next four years as host community for the Edgeboro Landfill.
The Township Council recently agreed to enter a new four-year contract with the Middlesex County Utilities Authority (MCUA), which operates the landfill on Edgeboro Road. Over the years, residents have complained about odor, noise and truck traffic related to the landfill, and Mayor David Stahl said the MCUA has taken steps to address some of those issues, but the community still receives some compensation in return for being home to the landfill.
“East Brunswick is host to the county landfill, and with it comes benefits to the entire county,” Stahl said. “But we are the ones who suffer the problems.” Stahl noted the landfill brings increased traffic, occasional odors and other issues.
The funding is not directly related to those issues, council President Catherine Diem said, noting that it is for hosting the landfill.
“We are the host community,” she said. Stahl added that the money is paid in part because the property cannot be used or devel- oped for any other purpose. “It is an [MCUA] facility, so it’s an area not developed for other purposes, and you are compensated for that,” he said.
Stahl said the township would receive at least $4.5 million a year as part of the agreement. The amount could increase because it is based on the actual tonnage delivered to Edgeboro.
The previous deal was for three years, he said, and the minimum each year was about $4.41 million.
Stahl said he took part in negotiations with the MCUA for the new deal.
“It was mutually agreed that this was what we should have gotten,” he said.
The MCUA recently began using a system whereby a disinfecting agent is released when the wind begins blowing in a certain direction. As a result, Stahl said, the number of complaints decreased.
The landfill increased its rates for certain types of garbage, resulting in fewer truck trips in and out of the landfill, and thus fewer trucks on township roads, the mayor said.
Diem said the administration spent a lot of time negotiating the deal and making sure the township received the right benefits. She also said the agreement includes specifics on the completion of related road improvements.