The rules limit disposal of construction debris to only two trips per year, with waste equal or less than two cubic yards.
Township officials have expanded upon their reasoning behind a recently released set of rules concerning the disposal of construction waste at the Department of Public Works Yard.
The rules, effective April 1, limit residents and their hired contractors to disposing of construction debris at the DPW Yard to only two trips per year, with DPW staff checking for proof of residency and logging the disposals.
During those trips, waste must be equal or less than two cubic yards, which is the equivalent of a level load in a standard pickup truck.
Officials and council first discussed the need for new rules at a meeting in March, noting landfill costs in the township’s budget have gone up $233,000 per year since 2013, with officials having noticed an “unsustainable increase” in contractors disposing of material at the DPW Yard.
“The intention there was not to get in the way of addressing a small water problem that happened or just a small redesign that they (residents) are doing on their own,” township manager Tom Czerniecki said at last week’s council meeting.
Nonetheless, Councilmember Ken D’Andrea said he believed the wording of the rules was not as appropriate as he believed it should have been, and he questioned if the rules were too limiting for residents, for whom D’Andrea said he did not wish to reduce service.
“You need to figure out a way to limit contractors, not residents, from using the facility for any activity,” D’Andrea said. “We’re here as residents, all of us, and we should be able to use that facility and not be restricted.”
Mayor Randy Brown noted the rules were written as they were to prevent residents, who happen to also work as contractors, from disposing of waste from their business at the DPW Yard instead of renting a dumpster.
“The DPW Yard is not meant to bring four truckloads of lumber and drywall to just dump there. That’s not what it’s there for,” Brown said.
Regarding the first week of the program, Czerniecki said the township did turn away some visitors to the DPW Yard who appeared to have large loads of debris but claimed they “didn’t have ID,” who then did not return later in the day.
Czerniecki said for residents who followed the new rules, township officials dealt with them on a one-on-one basis and explained the procedure and the township’s concerns.
“They seemed very accepting and understanding,” Czerniecki said.
Czerniecki said it was his advice the rules stay in place for at least several months so township officials could gather more data about their effect, to which council agreed.
“That should be enough time to make any adjustment to the two times per year rule,” Czerniecki said.
