Morris County NJ : Exceeds 50 Percent Recycling Goal

Thursday, January 25th, 2018

MORRIS COUNTY IN TOP THREE COUNTIES STATEWIDE IN BOTH KEY RECYCLING AREAS

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection's release of its most recent recycling data for the state's 21 counties shows that Morris County has exceeded both its 50 percent municipal solid waste recycling goal and a 60 percent total recycling number, including all waste generated in the county.

[Attachment] The municipal (or household) recycling rate was 51.2 percent, which shows that Morris County generated 292,195 tons of recyclables versus 278,522 tons of garbage.

Chatham Borough is the county's top municipal waste recycler at 74.7 percent.

The total recycling rate, which includes bulky waste such as furniture and construction debris, was 66.2 percent, or that Morris County recycled 776,771 tons of trash and debris versus 396,642 tons of garbage.

The recycling totals date to 2015, which are the most current totals provided by DEP (which has long lagged behind in providing more current recycling data)

[Attachment]

Morris County Freeholder Christine Myers

'We are extremely pleased to have reached both of these goals in the same year for the first time since 1998,' said Freeholder Christine Myers, the county governing board's liaison to the Morris County Municipal Utilities Authority, which handles much of the county's recycling.

'Thanks to our county residents, businesses, schools and other organizations for doing their part to contribute to our countywide recycling effort, which makes our county greener and reduces the cost of trash disposal for many of our 39 municipalities.'

MSW stands for municipal solid waste and is a subset of the total recycling statistic. The MSW rate omits bulky waste such as furniture and construction waste.

[Attachment]Morris County is ranked third highest in the state for the MSW recycling rate with 51.2 percent and second highest in the state for the total recycling rate at 66.2 percent. While Morris County has been very close to the 50 percent MSW goal since 2012, the county has not achieved both goals since 1998.

The Morris County MUA urges all residents to keep up the good work when it comes to recycling. MUA officials stressed that recyclables must be clean (please wash out cans and bottles) and must conform to the your towns' guidelines. Please seek out those guidelines in your town calendar, newsletter or website, or visit the MUA's website.

Please remember that plastic bags should NOT be placed in containers with other recyclables for curbside pickup. Bring them to collection bins at supermarkets, or toss them in the trash.

The top 10 towns in Morris County for percentage of municipal or household waste recycled are:

• Chatham Borough: 74.7 percent
• Chatham Township: 64.5 percent
• Mendham Borough: 60.8 percent
• Morrius Township: 66.7 percent
• Mountain Lakes: 62.6 percent
• Netcong: 61.7 percent
• Pequannock: 68.8 percent
• Randolph: 61.7 percent
• Riverdale: 67.4 percent
• Victory Gardens: 69.4 percent