Members of the recyling team check recycling and trash bins in Margate.
MARGATE Recycling inspectors are making the rounds in Margate to conduct an assessment of recycling practices and educate the public about local recycling regulations designed to prevent contamination of recycled materials and keep recycled materials out of the trash stream.
Public Works Supervisor Frank Ricciotti confirmed Thursday, Aug. 1 that his department, representatives of the Atlantic County Utilities Authority, Sustainable Margate, the city's green team, and members of the Rutgers Environmental Stewards program will be out on trash day checking trash and recycling containers to determine if residents are adhering to Atlantic County's new recycling regulations that were put in place on Jan. 1.
Recycling regulations differ county by county in New Jersey, and since many summer residents come from other states, recycling laws may be different where they live, officials said.
It sounds like the "recycling police," but really, it's just an opportunity to educate the public, officials said.
Local regulations are often based on how each county sorts their recycling materials and what they can sell on in the commodities market. It gets very confusing when what is recyclable in one county may not be recycled in another county.
Hopefully, projects like this will clarify what you can and shouldn't recycle, Sustainable Margate Chairman Steve Jasiecki said. Lots of people want to do the right thing, they just don't know what that is.
ACUA President Richard Dovey recently spoke at a Ventnor town hall meeting to share accurate information about how proper recycling can help towns reduce the cost of trash disposal and mitigate litter that often blows into the bay and poses a threat to marine life.
We have one of the best, most aggressive recycling programs in the country, Dovey said, but it is up to residents and visitors to ensure that it works.
Recycling has been mandatory in New jersey since 1988, but recent changes in recycling have been implemented to reduce contamination of recycling commodities, he said.
He shared several important rules to remember about single-stream recycling, such as never put plastic bags in the recycling, bottle caps should be removed and put in the trash, bottles and cans should be rinsed out before they go into a recycling bin, and don't put recycling or yard waste in plastic bags. Plastic film bags can be recycled at the supermarket, and only dry paper and cardboard can be recycled.
Margate Recycling Coordinator Anthony Edge, who took over the job in January 2018 after Franz Adler retired, said the ACUA's recycling assessment is strictly educational.
It's being done by the ACUA and we are cooperating with them. It's strictly for educational purposes. No one is getting fined, but we will put on stickers to show where people went wrong, he said. We have tags for doing a good job, too.
Do not put plastic bags in the recycling bin.
According to ACUA Communication Manager Sara Verrillo, the ACUA is surveying the visible portions of approximately 270 household recycling bins in Margate, and tagging them with either oops' or great job' tags to clearly show residents what items are correct or incorrect in their bins.
So far, the team has checked recycling bins on two consecutive Mondays between Madison to Wilson avenues and they will continue re-checking for another two weeks to see if recycling improves, Edge said.
There are an equal number of year-round and seasonal residents in the survey area, he said.
It's already making an impact and we noted that on the second week, things improved. Some people come out and ask us what we are doing when they see us out there. We can let them see right at the can what they are doing right or wrong, he said.
After the results are compiled, we will be able to see how much Margate residents have improved as a result of the hands-on activity, Verrillo said.
The most obvious infraction is putting plastic bags in the recycling bin or bagging recyclable materials in plastic bags," Edge said. "The ACUA says no plastic bags in the recycling."
Putting plastic in the recycle bin can wreak havoc at the sorting plant and cause a stoppage in processing.
They have to shut down the sorting machines for several hours to clean out the gears, he said.
Only plastic bottles with necks smaller than their base are recyclable in Atlantic County. Caps must be removed.
Other common mistakes are trying to recycle non-accepted plastics #3-7, pizza boxes, and other items that should go in the trash, such as napkins and paper towels, as well as containers that still contain liquid or food residue, Verrillo said.
The ACUA only accepts plastics bottles #1-2 where necks are smaller than the base. This includes clean, empty and dry plastic bottles, laundry detergent bottles, ketchup bottles, and milk jugs. So you can throw the peanut butter jar and the Philly soft cream cheese containers right into the trash, lid an all.
Verrillo said a similar tagging project in Egg Harbor Township had positive results.
After four inspections, contamination rates dropped 24% in the neighborhoods surveyed. In particular, we saw a drop in plastic bags by 43%, she said.
Doing a good job recycling, gets this owner a positive reinforcement tag.
It's Edge's job to enforce the city's other recycling laws.
Our ordinances require lids on all trash recepticles so the seagulls don't get into the trash. We recommend the toters, which have lids attached. They can be purchased at the ACUA for a reasonable cost and they will deliver them to your door, Edge said. They hold a lot of stuff and have wheels on them so they are easy to get to the curb.
The ACUA sells two different lidded toters a solid color one for trash and a two-colored bin for recycling.
The ACUA also has an interactive website, acua.com, where residents can click to find out more about recycling and collection schedules, or ask questions in a chat live with a representative.
Edge noted that the city is planning its annual Shredding Day 9 a.m. to noon, Saturday, Nov. 16 at the Public Works yard, 101 N. Benson Ave. Residents with proper identification can bring their important documents and watch while they are being shredded, he said.
Learn more at ACUA.com.
