South Orange unveiled a new strategic plan on October 5 to improve waste management and recycling efforts in the Village set to take effect in 2023, according to Village Trustee Bill Haskins and Environmental Commission Chair Linda Beck. At a presentation to Maplewood and South Orange’s governing bodies, a planning group of elected officials and external consultants laid out their vision for cleaner waste management and recycling in the two towns.
“We are dumping on our neighbors,” Ruth Abbe of the consulting group Zero Waste Associates said. “Trash is burned in the Covanta incinerator in Newark’s Ironbound neighborhood, and anything we can do to reduce trash to that incinerator really relieves pollution and impacts to human health of our neighbors.”
The plan, dubbed a “waste management revamp” by its proponents, promises bold new initiatives to educate residents on recycling and implement new measures like “pay to throw,” a system where disposal costs adjust along with the volume of waste being thrown away. Proposals from the planning group ranged from switching to curbside waste pickup to starting a food waste prevention initiative. The 14 proposed projects aim to transform local waste management to lower costs and protect the environment. The planning group hopes to gain official approval from the town governments in upcoming meetings.
Source By – ScrapMonster