Recycling in West Windsor is about to get cheaper, easier, and more eco-friendly.
A new recycling contract with Central Jersey Waste and Recycling approved by the Mercer County Improvement Authority — with which the township has an existing interlocal agreement — will shift the recycling process from a dual stream to a single stream beginning on January 1, running through the end of 2012.
One recycling truck will haul away recyclables from residents and commercial businesses, rather than separate trucks for collection of plastic and aluminum and paper separately. Residents will be able to use a single bucket for disposing of all of their recyclable material, even though they still have the option of separating into two buckets.
The MCIA is estimating that the new contract will save residents living in the 10 municipalities participating in the interlocal agreement more than $3.2 million over the next three years.
Officials also said that single stream recycling is better for the environment because fewer trucks are sent out on the roadways. In addition, Central Jersey Waste and Recycling will collect all of the recyclables together and will later separate the recyclables itself. The new contract should also reduce the number of recycling pick-up days in various neighborhoods around the county, officials said.
The new contract was approved after the MCIA’s current contract with paper recycler Homasote expired, allowing it to bid a single stream contract.
