Recycling, Trash and
Litter in Bridgeton
By Albert B. Kelly
There was a time once when
the whole idea of trash and litter was rather simple. Households produced some
trash each week; we would haul it to the curb in a bag or container and the
trash guys would haul it off and that was it. But then things changed.
Somewhere along the way we
realized that we were running out of room; we also realized that some of the
stuff had a half-life of 50 years. We became increasingly plugged in to the
fact that our environment (soil, drinking water, air quality) was tied directly
to what we did or didn’t do with our trash. At the same time, we understood the
need to recycle; the need to reuse these materials.
And if that wasn’t enough,
we found that the world of trash, recycling, and hauling came with costs that
got passed along to us in the form of fees. Partly because things got
complicated and partly because some people got lazy, we also found that we had
to wage a constant battle with trash and litter on our streets.
It is with these things in
mind that I’d hoped to come up with some new ideas and strategies to try and
address the many facets of our trash, litter and recycling situation.
Take the issue of
recycling. At present, we deal with recyclable materials with multiple streams;
meaning that when we recycle, we are tasked with separating paper from plastics
and glass, etc. To recycle correctly, we
use red buckets for plastic and glass items, while waste paper goes into the
red “box” container and out to the curb.
But there’s a thought that
much of our recyclable materials get dumped in with our regular trash and
because tipping fees are based on weight, we end up paying for that extra
weight. This “co-mingling” of recyclables and trash can happen because
containers get full or it happens because people don’t take the time to
separate materials properly. Sometimes households have recycling containers
stolen or lost in a wind gust; whatever the reason, the end result is higher
tipping fees and less recycling.
That’s part of why I
decided to do a “ride-along” with the Waste Management crew last week- taking
an opportunity to see the situation as it exists at curbside- because one
possible strategy is to switch over to a “single stream” approach. In a
nutshell, single stream is having one large container that can accommodate all
recyclable material; glass, plastics, and paper.
In 5 hours of jumping on
and off the back of the truck handling containers, I was surprised to see that
only 12 households out of hundreds actually brought paper to the curb in the
red box containers to be recycled. I also noted red containers overflowing with
bottles and cans and the assumption was that far too much recyclables made its
way into the regular trash. Those 5 hours working the job with the Waste
Management team gave me a greater appreciation for just how hard they work each
day and the challenges we face on recycling.
That said; the hope for a
single stream “one container” approach might make it easier for residents to
recycle- no more separating materials, no small containers blowing away in the
wind, no more excuses. If we can recycle more stuff more consistently, we can
lower tipping fees and if we can do that, we might be able to hold the line on
costs over the long term.
So beyond the year-end
reports, tonnage printouts, and fee schedules; a half day working the trash
truck and hauling containers gave me a better picture of what we’re dealing
with and that knowledge will be invaluable as we discuss our options in the
weeks ahead.
Beyond the recycling
issue, there’s also the issue of litter. We know it’s there because we see it
daily and working the trash route let me see it up close. The fault is not so
much with the haulers, but with those who illegally dump trash, throw litter
out of car windows, leave trash bags out and exposed, or are otherwise careless
with how they dispose of their garbage.
That’s part of why I am
hoping to appoint several volunteer Litter Marshals for the city; a specific
group of individuals chosen and empowered, as our eyes on the street, to
communicate directly with our police and enforcement personnel so that those
who would dump and litter illegally might face fines and penalties through our
municipal court.
Fairlawn New Jersey has
been running a successful program for some time and in seeking to incorporate
their best practices, we can have a successful program here as well. It is
unlikely that someone will litter or dump trash in the presence of a police
officer or a code official; so it is more likely that a private citizen will be
the witness to this type of activity.
That’s part of why having
private citizens serving as Litter Marshals makes sense. These individuals do
not confront the offender, but record a license plate number, date and time of
the incident, location, and type of materials dumped. The information, once
reported, would allow for appropriate follow-up by police and enforcement
personnel.
While Litter Marshals
would be the civilian part of the enforcement apparatus, they would also play
an important role in educating the public about the issues involved with
keeping our environment, including our waterways, clean and trash-free. Anyone
willing to become a Litter Marshal should contact me at the Office of the Mayor
(856) 455-3230 Ext 200.
With a small team in
place, we’ll meet with members; distribute a Marshal kit, along with
educational materials to set the program in motion. While there’s no single
answer to keeping costs down and the streets clean, I think it’s important to
employ multiple strategies to meet our goals.
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| Bridgeton Mayor Albert Kelly works along side of trash crews as part of researching recycling patterns in the community 3/27/14 |
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| Mayor Kelly operates trash and recycling truck as part of a "hands-on" approach to a better understanding of service delivery in Bridgeton- 3/27/14 |