Separating recyclables will be a practice of the past for Burlington County residents starting next May with the implementation of streamlined recycling.
The “big blue cart,” which residents currently use for cardboard and paper, will soon be an all-purpose recycling tool.
Single-stream is convenient, increases recycling volume and saves money, the county’s website says.
Currently, the county is working to find out whether residents are in need of the signature blue cart, or a second cart to supplement the amount of recyclables put to the curb each week.
If residents currently have a 48-gallon, 64-gallon or 96-gallon cart, they’re asked to visit the county website to determine whether they need a second one before May.
To determine whether an extra one is needed, residents are asked to visit www.co.burlington.nj.us/pages/pages.aspx?cid=1024#FAQS to determine their usage and if another cart is needed. The deadline for registration is Sept. 30.
According to the county, it is estimated that more than 30,000 homes may need an extra cart, of differing sizes. It will take months to gather everyone’s information, order the carts and deliver the right size carts to the right homes next spring. And keep plastic bags out of recycling buckets and carts.
Evesham Township residents have been inquiring about single-stream recycling for several years, according to township manager Bill Cromie.
“We applaud Burlington County for the significant infrastructure improvements they made at their processing plant to be able to separate recyclables,” Cromie said. “It is definitely the future of recycling.”
According to Cromie, residents should already have a blue bucket.
The process will simplify how residents think about waste, which ultimately will save the township money.
“We believe, as does the county, that single-stream will increase recycling amounts and thereby reduce trash going into the landfill and subsequently reduce tipping fees,” Cromie said.
The more residents recycle, the better case the township has to apply for tonnage grants.
According to the state Department of Environmental Protection, the grants are meant to provide an incentive to counties and municipalities to increase their recycling activities and reduce their overall percentage of disposal. The Recycling Tonnage Grants fund represents 25 percent of the annual revenues of the “Clean Communities and Recycling Grant Fund.”
“If recycling goes up, we would expect that the recycling tonnage grant would increase as well, however that depends on the state Department of Environmental Protection,” Cromie said.
According to Cromie, the township has been awarded tonnage grants every year since 1990.
The county and township ultimately have the same goal: to send less trash to the landfill.
According to the county, not only is the program free of charge for residents, but the frequency of service will not change.
Currently, major facility modifications are being made to the Robert C. Shinn Recycling Center in Westampton. Following that, new single-stream sorting equipment will be installed, according to the county.
According to the county, studies show single-stream brings with it an increase of 10 percent or more in recycling. The more people recycle, the less waste there is in landfills.
Last year, recycling saved the towns more than $3.2 million in landfill tipping fees. Those cost-savings are effectively tax
savings, since they improve the bottom line of municipal budgets.
For more information on the program or how to register for an additional cart, visit www.co.burlington.nj.us/pages/pages.aspx?cid=1024#FAQS.
