Introduction :

The Passaic County Solid Waste Management Plan component known as the District Recycling Plan was originally adopted by the County and then approved by the State Department of Environmental Protection on April 29, 1988. The County strongly believes in the effectiveness of the approved Plan to meet the current recycling goals. This belief is evidenced by the fact that the County has consistently exceeded the State mandated targets which evaluate selected recyclables against municipal type 10 waste, recovering 16% of the municipal solid waste stream in 1988 when the goal was 7.5% and 20% in 1989 when the goal was 15%.

Note: 1988 Recycling data has been confirmed by NJDEP
1989 Recycling data is preliminary as filed with NJDEP

The County of Passaic has now adopted more aggressive solid waste recovery goals. In order for the County to meet an overall 60% reduction in solid waste and to institute a program for source reduction which will not only hold solid waste generation at its current level but will decrease it within 10 years, a more intensified approach must be taken to the recycling component of the County Solid Waste Management Plan. Appropriate goals for individual recyclable materials will be pursued and waste generating practices will be reviewed.

1. Source reduction opportunities, eliminating or reducing waste at the beginning of a process, will be adopted.
2. Materials designated for source separation and recycling will be expanded upon.
3. Additional programs will be implemented to effectuate the increased goal.
4. Enforcement activities will be expanded.
5. A system for accountability will be developed in order to assure demonstrated compliance with program goals.

1. Designated Recovery Targets :

With the adoption of the Passaic County District Recycling Plan in November 1987 by the County Board of Chosen Freeholders and its subsequent certification by the State Department of Environmental Protection in April of 1988, target years were established for solid waste recovery through recycling. The County of Passaic must meet the currently mandated municipal solid waste recovery rate of 25% for calendar year 1990. The County will move forward from there to meet an overall 60% recovery rate by 1995. The interim goals set to reach the final 60% are as follows:

1991 - 40% of the solid waste stream
1992 - 45% of the solid waste stream
1993 - 50% of the solid waste stream
1994 - 55% of the solid waste stream
1995 - 60% of the solid waste stream

Note: All recovery goals include previously unreported "private recycling" as estimated by the Governor's Emergency Solid Waste Assessment Task Force.

2. Designated Materials :

In order to meet these more aggressive recovery goals, the following recyclable materials will now be designated as those materials that must be source separated in the residential, commercial and institutional sectors of each municipality:

Residential:

• Newspaper
• Glass food and beverage containers
• Aluminum beverage containers
• Tin and bi-metal cans
• Plastic containers(PET and HDPE)
• Corrugated
• Mixed paper(magazines, junk mail and unsoiled scrap)
• White goods
• Ferrous and non-ferrous metals

Commercial:

All businesses -

• Newspaper
• Glass food and beverage containers
• Aluminum beverage containers
• Tin and bi-metal cans
• High grade paper
• Mixed paper (magazines, junk mail and unsoiled scrap)
• Corrugated
• Plastic containers and film (PET, HPED and PVC) by January 1, 1994
• Ferrous and non-ferrous scrap metals by January 1, 1992
• Construction and demolition debris recyclable components:concrete, brick, block, asphalt, asphalt-based roofing scrap and tree stumps/trunks by January 1, 1992*
• Tires
• Used motor oil
• Automotive batteries
• Leaves
• Brush by April 15, 1993
• Grass by April 15, 1994

Restaurants and taverns

• All the above and food waste by January 1, 1993

Institutional:

• Newspaper
• Glass food and beverage containers
• Aluminum beverage containers
• Tin and bi-metal cans
• High grade paper
• Mixed paper (magazines, junk mail and unsoiled scrap)
• Corrugated
• Plastic containers and film (PET, HPED and PVC) by January 1, 1994
• Ferrous and non-ferrous scrap metals by January 1, 1992
• Construction and demolition debris recyclable components:concrete, brick, block, asphalt, asphalt-based roofing scrap and tree stumps/trunks by January 1, 1992*
• Tires
• Used motor oil
• Automotive batteries
• Leaves
• Brush by April 15, 1993
• Grass by April 15, 1994

*Additional recyclable components of the construction and demolition debris waste stream will be included as markets are found.

The list of designated materials has been revised to reflect the need to meet the specific goals recommended by the Governor's Emergency Solid Waste Assessment Task Force Report published August 6, 1990. Further, the County has confirmed the need to expand the types of recyclable materials collected from work done by WESTON/Alaimo and Alaimo Associates of Mt. Holly, New Jersey. The firms have reviewed historical recycling and solid waste data and County and Municipal program growth as compared to the target goals.

Additionally, viable markets currently exist for all recyclable materials listed for immediate mandate. It is expected that local market expansion, and if necessary a consolidation center, will accommodate the remaining materials as they are phased in.

3. County Program Strategy :

Additional programs and expansion of existing programs will be necessary to assist municipalities with meeting waste recovery goals.

A) Source Reduction - source reduction, preventing the actual generation of waste, eliminates the need to manage that material later as recyclable or non-recyclable waste and therefore reduces the economic and environmental impact of both recycling and waste disposal. Source reduction will be an important first step in the County's waste management plans. The County of Passaic will adopt an educational program for the source reduction of waste. Further, and upon State approval of an appropriate format, waste surveys will be required for all County departments and municipal governments as well as for the commercial/industrial sectors.

B) Procurement Guideline - further to support the revised Plan, a general procurement guideline will be developed for use by all County departments and municipal governments. The guideline will require source reduction techniques, life cycle costing analyses for durable goods and the use of and allowance for economy of scale purchasing of recycled and recyclable products.

C) Direct Municipal Assistance - assistance to municipalities will continue to be given through the purchase, lease or loan of equipment for recycling activities by the County as appropriate grant funding becomes available.

D) County Government Recycling and Procurement - in keeping with the overall County strategy, a program for all County facilities is currently being implemented to set an example for County-wide recycling, source reduction and procurement.

E) Curbside Recycling Service - expansion of the highly successful Regional Curbside Recycling Service will now allow for collection of designated recyclables in small business sectors under municipal contracts with Straight and Narrow, Inc. of Paterson, the service provider.

F) Consolidation Center - if after calendar year 1991, recycling of certain materials by individual municipalities has not reached a proportion estimated as necessary to meet the County's overall goals, the County will establish or contract to establish a consolidation center for selected recyclable materials.

G) Bulky Waste Processing Facility - the County will establish a bulky waste processing facility which will segregate recyclable, processible and non-processible portions of the waste stream including waste that contains mercury. The facility will capture additional recyclables not readily captured under normal municipal program operations through sorting, size reduction and preprocessing. Until a separate facility is established, limited sorting will occur at the existing transfer stations.

H) Composting - due to the expansion of organic materials beyond leaves (to now include brush by April 15, 1993 and grass by April 15, 1994 for composting), the County will pursue alternatives for either securing a compost site or facilitating inter-local municipal contracts with private site owners. Additionally, an education program to advise all sectors of the benefits of backyard composting as well as clipping and leaving grass rather than bagging is already being instituted.

I) Special Materials Collection Program - Passaic County will develop a collection program for household batteries, small generator hazardous waste and appliances to aid in the reduction of waste which contains mercury. This program will be instituted in conjunction with municipal collection programs, household hazardous waste collection events, coordinated private "milk run" pick-up services and with the cooperation of local retailers.

J) Education Program - the County's education program will be expanded to more sully support municipal outreach efforts, reaching the public at large, the private sector and the County school system. Broad outreach campaigns will make source reduction, reuse, recycling and waste management visible throughout the County and "Passaic County Kid's Recycle" curriculum and school program will provide appropriate technical information to all grade levels.

4. Municipal Responsibilities :

A) Municipal Ordinances - Each municipality, if it has not already done so, will within sixty (60) days of the adoption of this amendment and approval by the NJDEP be required to adjust their local mandatory recycling ordinances in order to meet the recovery targets of this amendment to:

(1) Adopt source reduction practices, the prevention of the generation of waste at the beginning of a process or service, as the first step in solid waste management.

(2) Include revised designated recyclable materials listed in item 1 of the amendment;

(3) Increase fines for non-compliance with the local mandatory recycling ordinance so that for conviction of violations of the ordinance the minimum for a first offense shall not be less than one hundred ($100.00) dollars and will not exceed at a minimum one thousand ($1000.00) dollars;

(4) Extend the designated enforcement agent to include the County Health Department or their designee for enforcement of provisions of the ordinance and establish a unified enforcement policy which will in all cases allow for two (2) warnings before fines are levied;

*It should be noted that this provision does not lessen the obligation of the municipality to enforce all local program requirements.

(5) To require self-audit waste survey's to be performed by the municipality by 1991 and implemented by 1992 and to be performed in the commercial/industrial sectors in a phased in manner (businesses with more than 500 employees by 1992, with more than 250 employees by 1993, with more than 100 employees by 1994 and with more than 50 employees by 1995) with waste reduction plans to be submitted to the County Recycling Coordinator and copied to the Municipal Recycling Coordinator.

(6) Include provisions for quarterly reporting of all commercial and institutional generators not covered by the municipal program, with that tonnage data then submitted to Municipal Recycling Coordinator as follows:

Reporting Period Due Date

January 1 - March 31 April 8
April 1 - June 30 July 8
July 1 - September 30 October 8
October 1 - December 31 January 8

The Municipal Recycling Coordinator will compile all recycling documentation and report to the County Recycling Coordinator on a quarterly basis by the 15th of the months stated above under due dates;

(7) Include a provision for submission of documentation indicating compliance with yearly Municipal Recycling Certification requirements to the County Recycling Coordinator by April 15th of each year for information on the previous calendar year's activities for certification purposes.

B) Municipal Recycling Certification - Requirements for the yearly Municipal Recycling Certification indicating on-going program compliance are as follows:

(1) Local recycling ordinance in full compliance with County District Recycling Plan, with submission of any and all additions or deletions.

(2) Previous year's recycling recovery goal met.

(3) Samples of two publicity outreach mechanisms and description of distribution to each sector.

(4) All quarterly reports filed with the County Recycling Coordinator.

(5) Completed State Tonnage Grant Application submitted on time to both the NJDEP and County.

(6) Report on enforcement efforts in all sectors.

5. Enforcement

Now that basic programs have been established by each municipality, enforcement of those program provisions will play a more important role.

A) In addition to the established County inspection system, the County will institute an education and inspection program to support and expand on local enforcement program efforts which will target individual generator violations and assist in development of waste reduction and recycling alternatives.

B) In addition to program goal conditions set forth in the County's original plan, municipalities failing to meet the requirements of the yearly Municipal Recycling Certification will be required to pay a penalty surcharge for disposal of municipal solid waste. Upon approval by the appropriate authorities, a rate will be established which will become effective July 1 through June 30 for documentation submitted by April 15 of each year for the previous year's program requirements.

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