Department of Public Works

Department of Public Works

Photo Courtesy of Jack Reynolds Photography

RIGID PLASTICS ADDED TO COUNTY RECYCLING STABLE

FROM PLASTIC BUCKETS to old lawn furniture, rigid plastics are the latest addition to Ocean County's recycling stable.

Following a pilot program in Lakewood Township where 13 tons of rigid plastics were collected in only three months, the county has decided to begin accepting the material at both the Northern Recycling Center in Lakewood and the Southern Recycling Center in Stafford Township, said Freeholder James F. Lacey.

"This is waste that people do want to recycle," Lacey said. "Municipal recycling crews frequently find these plastics left next to the recycling cans, so residents are not throwing it into the trash."

Lacey, who serves as liaison to the county's recycling programs, said rigid plastics will not be collected at curbside and must be brought to one of the county's recycling centers.

This addition to the recycling program will not only save on landfill tipping fees, but also earn the county about $90 per ton in sales, he said.

Rigid plastic items now accepted by the county include: plastic buckets including those with metal handles, milk and soda crates, laundry baskets, lawn furniture, totes, drums, toys and playhouses, pet carriers, pallets, coolers, shelving, closet organizers, dish drainers, empty flower pots, traffic signs, garbage cans, five-gallon water bottles, PET blister packs and computer housing without circuits.

Plastic automotive parts are also accepted, including bumpers, bed liners from pick-up trucks, grills, side-view mirrors, headlights and rear lights and hubcaps.

Materials not accepted include: PVC pipe and tubing, vinyl siding, grocery bags and stretch film, Styrofoam, coated paper orange juice and milk cartons, flexible water hoses, medical waste, yogurt containers and oil/chemical containers.

Plastics can be dropped off at the Northern Recycling Center, New Hampshire Avenue in Lakewood, or the Southern Center on Haywood Road in Manahawkin between 7:30 am and 3 pm Monday to Saturday.

Freeholder Director Gerry P. Little said Ocean County already boasts one of the nation's most successful recycling programs.

"Our recycling efforts truly turns trash into treasure," Little said. "The recycling program, under the leadership of Jim Lacey, has been profitable economically and environmentally."

2012 RESIDENTIAL GARBAGE AND RECYCLING SCHEDULE

BATTERY RECYCLING INFORMATION

NOTE: In an effort to keep Beach Haven clean and attractive to both residents and visitors, we ask that you pay particular attention to the following regulations:

173-5. Receptacle specifications and plastic bags. (Amended 12-8-2008 by Ord. No. 2008-13)

All solid waste as defined herein shall be placed in watertight receptacles covered with tight-fitting lids. Any resident shall be permitted to keep cans anywhere on their property for pick up, providing always that:

(1)	All solid waste shall be picked up curbside.
(2)	Persons placing their cans anywhere in the front yard must remove the cans so as to keep them out of sight and prevented from being blown away by 8:00 p.m. on the day of collection.

Trash cans shall be of plastic or metal construction and shall not be greater than thirty-two-gallon capacity and they shall not, when filled, exceed 40 pounds in weight. The use of plastic garbage bags of all types is prohibited, except when placed completely inside the receptacles hereinabove called for or when utilized only as hereinafter set forth. Trash cans must be kept covered with a tight-fitting lid at all times.

Plastic bags may be used without placing same in plastic or metal water-tight covered receptacles when they are used to contain gardening debris of a completely biodegradable nature, such as hedge clippings, lawn clippings, shrubbery clippings and the like.

Brush clippings and rubbish may be placed in containers or tied in bundles with maximum dimensions not to exceed three feet by one foot without being placed in approved receptacles.

Sufficient receptacles or containers as described in this section shall be maintained for each building to accommodate solid waste and rubbish for a period of not less than seven days.