East Brunswick Addresses Issues With Waste & Recycling Pickups

EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ — Mayor Brad Cohen told residents on Tuesday that the township was aware of the issues plaguing solid waste and recycling pickups, and offered an explanation for the ongoing problem.

Solterra, the township’s contractor for several years has told officials that labor shortage and other issues were causing problems with pickup.

The company, which was recently purchased by Interstate Waste Services (IWS) told officials that despite good wages and benefits, employees were either failing to show up to work, showing up late, or leaving early, causing disruption in service.

“We have offered to allow the company to start pick-ups as early as 5 a.m. We thought that this may be more appealing as the temperatures are cooler and there is less traffic,” Cohen said. “IWS is uncertain that this would make any difference to their workforce and would not be able to promise that this ordinance change would result in improved service to our community.”

Although on days waste pickup is canceled, IWS is expected to provide information to the Department of Public Works (DPW) so a Civic Ready alert is sent to those affected. However, the employees providing this information to the township "has been spotty to date,” Cohen said.

At times IWS also hires workers who are not familiar with the routes to fill in and many times they omit a street inadvertently.

Another problem is the landfill on Edgeboro Road which is only open until noon on Saturday and closed on Sunday.

“If trucks are out catching up on weekends, they will often be unable to empty the truck until Monday morning. This, of course, makes them get a late start on Monday,” Cohen explained.

Meanwhile, hauling trucks often break down, require constant maintenance, or are in need of repair. “The yards are filled with trucks that are waiting for parts as the supply chain has significantly increased the waiting time for needed repairs.”

The Mayor pointed out that East Brunswick wasn’t the only town in the state facing such issues.

The township has taken the following steps to address the matter:

• Contacted the Middlesex County Office of Workforce Development to help IWS in securing quality employees.
• Requested that IWS alert the township when areas of the township cannot be serviced.
• IWS has committed to continuing 7 day a week service until all areas are serviced regularly. This is however dependent on staffing and equipment.
• Emphasis will be on Solid Waste.
• The Recycling Center is open regularly and will continue to accept recycling and household trash.
• Residents who continue to face problems should call the DPW at 732-390-6884.
• In case the township moves forward with a new contract, it’s quite possible the hauler will be switching to one-arm trucks. These requires less manpower, and the risk to workers comprehensive injuries are much lower. However, the township will need to purchase much larger cans for both solid waste and recycling.

Owning to such issues, townships like Princeton are planning to make changes to its solid and bulk waste programs, by implementing a fully automated waste collection system. More: Princeton Looks At Sustainability With Proposed Waste Disposal Program

The contract with IWS ends on Dec. 31, 2023. Solterra was the only contractor to respond to the township’s bids in the last two cycle, providing “reasonable and fair rates.”