4/8/13

County moves forward with single-stream recycling plan - phillyburbs.com: Burlington County Times

County moves forward with single-stream recycling plan

By Danielle Camilli Staff writer | Posted: Friday, March 30, 2012 12:00 am MOUNT HOLLY The county could see single-stream curbside recycling by early next year, and the Burlington County Board of Freeholders has found money from a completed landfill project to help pay for it. The board on Wednesday introduced an ordinance to amend a $17.3 million bond for the landfill project to direct $4.4 million from remaining funds to the upgrade and overhaul of the county recycling center on Hancock Lane in Westampton. Officials estimated the project would cost about $9.1 million to complete, but should usher in new annual operating savings and efficiencies. The freeholders will hold a public hearing on the amendment at their April 11 meeting at the county complex on Rancocas Road. The meeting starts at 7 p.m. The board will need to bond for the rest of the project costs at a later date, but has abandoned the initial idea of using recovery zone bonds because the project no longer is eligible under the federal guidelines, officials said. The bond amendment allows the county to move forward with a project that will benefit everyone, Freeholder Deputy Director Joseph Donnelly said Wednesday. It will improve overall efficiency in recycling, improve costs, and increase participation that will reduce use in the landfill. In August, the board awarded a $365,082 contract to RRT Design and Construction of Melville, N.Y., to design the project and prepare construction specifications for bidding. The firm, now working on the engineering phase, will also oversee construction and installation. Jerome Sheenan, director of the county Department of Solid Waste, said the upgrade should be completed before the county rolls out single-stream recycling, which is expected by the first quarter of next year. The 14-year-old facility will be converted into a single-stream center, meaning recyclables paper, cardboard, bottles and cans could be picked up by the same vehicle and sorted mechanically. The center would be retrofitted and re-equipped for the new operation, officials said. The county, as a shared service, contracts with the private Occupational Training Center to collect recyclables in all 40 municipalities. A yearlong study of the benefits of converting found that single-stream recycling reduces collection costs and improves recycling rates because its more convenient for residents, Ann Moore, the countys recycling coordinator, has said. Increased recycling means towns take less trash to the landfill, which, in turn, reduces a municipalitys tipping fees there, officials said. Moore estimated that curbside collection savings and added revenue through increased recycling would be about $442,658 annually. While the county would see a $475,000 rise in operational costs, it would save nearly $1.1 million annually on curbside collections and an additional $442,658 in revenue from increased recycling. The savings would be found through a reduction in drivers, laborers, overtime and vehicle operations, officials said. The net annual benefit of the conversion was estimated to be about $1 million, officials have said. It could be more since the upgraded center would have the capacity to accept recyclables from the commercial sector, they said.
www.phillyburbs.com/news/local/burlington_county_times_news/county-moves-forward-with-single-stream-recycling-plan/article_86eb1294-9d8e-5bd0-a077-884 1/1