Princeton Prepares To Begin New Sustainable Waste Disposal Program

PRINCETON, NJ — Various aspects of Princeton’s new solid and organic waste pickup program will be going out to bid this week.

During Monday’s council meeting, Wayne DeFeo of DeFeo Associates, municipal engineer Jim Purcell and Christine Symington of Sustainable Princeton made a presentation on Princeton's proposed bid solicitation for the collection and disposal of solid waste, bulk waste in organics.

DeFeo told Council that the costs of waste pickup in Princeton have gone up since 2018. He suggested two approaches to the program.

Residents would receive a 64-gallon disposable cart at no cost. Families who need another will have to pay extra for a 32-gallon model.

“This is a cost containment measure. What it does essentially is say those who make more garbage will have to pay for that, versus those who make less,” DeFeo said.

The garbage bins will be automated or semi-automated with a mechanical arm attached to a truck picking them up. This would also reduce labor costs and injury among workers.

Under the new proposal, there are plans to change the way bulk waste is being collected. Currently, the waste collector must drive around town to pick up bulk waste from curbs. This drives up costs. Under the new system, residents will have to make a reservation for the bulk waste pickup via phone or online.

According to DeFeo, in surveys done in other municipalities, about 6 percent of homes use bulk waste collection on any given week. Scheduling a pickup would allow solid waste bidders to efficiently allocate vehicles to collection areas, DeFeo explained.

An additional option will also be included in the proposal – organic waste disposal. This will reduce the overall volume of solid waste going into landfills. Princeton previously had an organic waste program that was voluntary and had limited participation. It was terminated in 2019. More: Princeton Looks At Sustainability With Proposed Waste Disposal Program

Cost of waste collection is skyrocketing in the state as more people work from home, generating more waste. Currently, Mercer County has the highest purchase and disposal rate in the state of New Jersey, DeFeo said.

The new program not only aims to reduce solid waste but hopes to contain Princeton’s carbon emissions.

The proposed new system will not replace the current biweekly recycling pickup.

Councilwoman Eve Niedergang said she supported the new plan and residents will need a lot of hand-holding to understand the changes. “The idea is not to be punitive. The idea is to educate people to comply so that we can do something that will help contain costs and that is environmentally beneficial,” Niedergang said.

Councilwoman Mia Sacks said she had concerns about the timing of rolling out the new program now, given the “tsunami” of changes the community is facing including construction and growth. “I was wondering, can we add this layer on?”

She asked Christine Symington of Sustainable Princeton to speak about how they would educate the residents about the changes.

Symington said the staff is committed to seeing the new program succeed.

"Our team here is ready to support the education and helping folks understand how this is an environmentally beneficial thing to do. All the right ingredients have finally come together to make it a successful program,” Symington said.

During the public comment section, residents said they were enthusiastic about the proposal and hoped the Municipality would put out more educational material. The next steps include publishing the bid.

What do you think about the new proposal? Let us know in the comments.

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