East Brunswick Begins Process For New Waste, Recycling Contract

EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ — The Township has begun the process of looking into the contract for solid waste and recycling pickups.

The current contract with Interstate Waste Services (IWS) is set to end on Dec. 31 this year.

The duration of the contract is five years, after which it needs to be renegotiated, Mayor Brad Cohen said during Monday’s Council meeting.

“We’ve already started with a bid package. We are looking at different ways in which we can try to help offset any predictable increase in costs,” Cohen said.

The costs of solid waste and recycling pickup have gone up drastically over the past few years. Other New Jersey towns have seen a 35-40 percent increase in costs, according to Cohen.

“We spend millions of dollars each year on refuse. That’s a hefty number. So we’re going to do the best we can to try to provide the same or better level of service,” Cohen said.

The mayor noted that the township may have to “give up some things,” to get a contract that is manageable and affordable.

The last two times the township negotiated a contract, they went out to bid and only one company responded each time to those bids, Cohen said.

“There are a limited number of companies out there that want to do municipal business,” Cohen said. “They would rather us give it up and hire them privately. They make a lot more money that way.”

Last year, the township faced issues with solid waste and recycling pickups, after Solterra, the township’s contractor, told officials that labor shortage and other issues were causing problems with pickup. More: East Brunswick Addresses Issues With Waste & Recycling Pickups

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