Home & Garden

Green Brook Part of County Pilot Recycling Program

This is being done in an effort to recycle more.

A new pilot recycling program is starting in Green Brook, and being facilitated by the county, as of March 1.

According to a release from the county, the program—which will also be held in South Bound Brook beginning March 7—will be working to increase the amount of material recycled and make it easier for residents to participate.

Green Brook residents are receiving a new blue 96-gallon wheeled recycling cart for collection of paper and commingled material. The carts, the release said, should be placed by the curb the night before collection day with the wheels facing the curb or the house.

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Carts should not be placed within 5 feet of any items like mailboxes, trees or cars.

This single stream pilot program means that paper items can be mixed with commingled bottles and cans, the release said. Materials will be taken together to a special recycling plant to be sorted.

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In addition, the release said, newspapers and cardboard boxes do not have to be tied.

Only materials inside the cart will be collected.

Materials that can be recycled include glass bottles, aluminum cans, metal cans, plastic bottles marked #1 through #7 and all plastic containers. In addition, corrugated cardboard, chipboard, newspapers, junk mail and magazines must be recycled.

Plastics that do not have a recycling symbol should not be included, and jars and bottles should be thoroughly rinsed to avoid contamination.

In addition to these usual items for recycling, the release said, Green Brook residents will be encouraged to recycle rinsed-out paper milk and juice cartons, clean aluminum foil and empty aerosol cans, all as part of this pilot program.

Collection schedules will not change throughout the pilot program, and will remain the same as they are now. In Green Brook, the dates are March 1, 15 and 29; April 12 and 26; May 10 and 24; June 7 and 21; July 5 and 19; Aug. 2, 16 and 30; Sept. 13 and 27; Oct. 11 and 25; Nov. 8 and 22 and Dec. 6 and 20.

According to the release, this new pilot program is an attempt to address a declining recycling rate in the county.

Through hopefully increasing resident participation with the program, the county hopes to increase recycling tonnage, possibly leading to future grant money to enhance the program itself.

For more information on recycling, click here.


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