Dive summary:
- While a mandatory recycling law is nothing new in Somerset County, N.J., county officials are reminding 10,000 local businesses that the law applies to them as well and not just to residents.
- The county is asking businesses to submit recycling tonnage reports from 2012 to the Division of Solid Waste Management to track and improve recycling in order to receive better federal recycling grants .
- Recycling has been mandatory in New Jersey since 1987; the law significantly reduces the amount of waste put into landfills.
From the article:
"It is up to businesses and institutions to establish recycling systems within their organizations. They are responsible for the separation and proper disposal of mandatory recyclable materials. Newspapers, corrugated cardboard, chip board, mixed paper, glass containers, aluminum containers, steel and tin cans, plastic bottles, motor oil, anti-freeze, batteries, fluorescent light bulbs, tires and yard waste are among the items that must be separated from regular trash and disposed of properly.
County officials hope the letter will help bolster the rates of business and institutional reporting. An increase in reported recycling tonnage will lead to higher recycling tonnage grant amounts. ..."
