County offers plans to improve current recycling rates
By Anthony V. Coppola, Staff Writer
Editor’s note: This is the first in a two-part series looking at recycling in the county. Next week’s story will focus on towns in the northern Burlington County area and how they are looking to improve or build upon current recycling strategies and programs.
Burlington County will expand its efforts to increase municipality recycling rates by reaching out to schools and businesses in the wake of a state mandate asking counties and municipalities to revise their Solid Waste Management Plans.
Burlington County District Recycling Coordinator Ann Moore said the county will do its part to continue raising awareness.
”The county is working on a new plan that will build on existing successes,” Ms. Moore said. “We will be expanding our outreach efforts to schools.”
Ms. Moore said in the past few years, the county has offered a free site audit to any school district to help identify where recycling containers should be placed. The county even offers a matching grant to help pay for the containers, according to Ms. Moore. She added that the state requires each county to expand its list of recyclable items and in Burlington, computers, and recyclable woods and metals will be featured on the county’s list. Each county in the state has a plan devised for their specific needs.
According to the DEP Web site, Burlington County instituted a market participant strategy, which provides for voluntary delivery of solid waste to the Burlington County Solid Waste Management Facilities Complex in Florence and Mansfield townships. The area features a household hazardous waste collection center, a landfill, and bulky waste transfer capabilities.
The county has focused on assisting local businesses as well. The businesses remain a major concern in the success of Burlington County reaching their goals, according to the newsletter. The publication states the business community has a vast amount of materials being trashed rather than recycled. According to the newsletter, if businesses upped their recycling rate to 85 percent for cardboard and office paper, an additional 84,000 tons of the materials could be diverted from landfills.
Approximately 40 members of the business community attended “The Essentials of Smart Recycling,” a seminar sponsored by the county freeholders and the Burlington County Chamber of Commerce. The function aimed to help businesses utilize their recyclables as assets and teach them how to find the best markets for purchasing supplies.
In order to achieve its goal, the state issued target percentages for the counties and municipalities to reach. The designated marks are 50 percent of municipal solid waste and 60 percent of the total waste stream of any waste generated within the physical borders of a municipality, according to the Burlington County Regional Recycling Program Fall 2007 newsletter.
According to the most recent statistics compiled by the state Department of Environmental Protection, Burlington County’s municipal recycling rate was 35 percent, slightly above the state average, and the total recycling rate was 52.3 percent, average across the state.
Locally, Bordentown City (38 percent), Chesterfield (40 percent) and Florence (66 percent) all reported percentages above the county municipality average. However, Bordentown Township (8 percent) and New Hanover (4 percent) were the lowest reported percentages across the county.
The Solid Waste Management Plan details the steps required to improve recycling through state, county and local government action. According to the 2006 Waste Management Plan, if these strategies are implemented, the costs associated with solid waste management will be reduced. The plan targets assisting certain consistent contributors of waste such as businesses, housing complexes and schools.
Ms. Moore indicated the joint effort between the county and its municipalities is crucial to fulfilling the goals of the state.
”The towns and counties are required to step up enforcement efforts and we are looking for the best way to make that happen,” she said.