On behalf of the Middletown Township Committee, I would like to thank the residents of Middletown for making the Recycle 2 Save program such a great success.
The introduction of singlestream recycling has resulted in a huge increase in the number of recyclables collected and a significant drop in the volume of waste material being disposed of in the county landfill. The past year saw the collection of recycled materials rise nearly 23 percent over the previous year, while the tonnage of nonrecycled material dropped by over 8 percent during the same period. This translated into a net savings/increased revenue of over $20,000 per month from July to December of last year. If this trend continues and compliance continues to increase, it would be an important step in Middletown’s quest to replace municipal property taxes with other sources of revenue to pay for essential township services, infrastructure maintenance and capital improvements.
Residents can play an important role by encouraging friends, neighbors and coworkers to participate and help continue the remarkable progress we’ve made thus far. This program provides residents with an opportunity to play an active role in helping to lower property taxes with relatively little impact on their day-to-day lives.
The Township Committee will continue to explore other creative ways to build upon the momentum of this innovative program to keep Middletown the great place it is to live, work and recreate.
Gerry Scharfenberger
Mayor, Middletown Township