COLTS NECK — Residents will be able to combine all of their recyclable materials, from newspapers to bottles, in one collection bin beginning Jan. 1.
The Colts Neck Township Committee awarded a two-year contract for singlestream recycling services at its Nov. 13 meeting. Sakoutis Brothers Disposal Co. will receive $67,500 per year in 2014-15 to remove all recyclables from township homes, according to the agreement.
“That means you can put all your recyclables in one bucket, bring it out to the curb — and it will be taken away,” Township Administrator Robert Bowden said. “So it’s much easier for residents.”
Colts Neck officials have the option to renew the contract for a third year, which would run through 2016, according to the document.
Despite a poor market for recyclables — which should theoretically raise the price of the service — the deal will cost less than the current annual price of $70,000 that is paid by Colts Neck, Bowden said.
Committeeman Jarrett Engel said the move to single-stream recycling was a “long time coming.” He said he believes residents will welcome the newfound convenience.
“I have had so many residents … say they are tired of seeing their neighbors’ trash blowing around the streets because they bring [the recyclables] out in small buckets, and they are tried of making 10 trips down the driveway and separating out the recycling,” Engel said.
Mayor Michael Fitzgerald and Engel said the transition to single-stream recycling could fly under the radar for individuals who are used to separating their recyclables.
They said Colts Neck officials must drive home the point to residents — whether it be through newsletters or the Internet — that all recyclables will now be permitted to be placed in one container.
Bowden said the township will issue a notice to residents.
The agreement also provides for the placement of six 8-cubic-yard containers at the Department of Public Works facility, Bowden said. Sakoutis employees will remove recyclables from those bins twice a week, he said.
Bowden said the public works yard saw a “traffic jam” of recyclables this year, when the bins filled up earlier than expected.