Dive Brief:

• Central Jersey Waste & Recycling of Ewing, New Jersey was awarded a contract to collect residential and organic waste. The town needs a minimum of 300 households to enroll in the service to convert the organics into compost; so far, only 67 residents have volunteered.
• One hurdle is cost: Pick-up comes attached with a $17-per-month fee. The cost covers a green bin for waste materials, hauling and transport of the organics. 
• Local recycling coordinator Greg Whitehead said that a proposed plan to build a regional organic waste recycling plant nearby would reduce costs.

Dive Insight:

The project could gain momentum if more households knew about the program. Food waste collection is gaining popularity in New Jersey—the food waste program in nearby Princeton has been operating successfully for three years and recently extended its collection program—but if the community isn't aware of its existence, they won't sign up for collection. According to Whitehead, individual costs could be defrayed by sharing the cost of collection with a neighbor. In addition, the township was awarded a $20,000 grant, giving the first 300 residents to sign up a 30% discount.