Monmouth County Gains Approval To Layoff 70+ Landfill Workers

TINTON FALLS, NJ – Monmouth County recently gained approval from the state to lay off 72 employees at the Tinton Falls landfill, according to a recent report from the Asbury Park Press. Per the report, The New Jersey Civil Service Commission confirmed it approved planned layoffs for the 900-acre facility and sent an approval letter to Monmouth County on July 24.

While a potential layoff date is listed as Sept. 18 in the letter, County Administrator Teri O'Connor told the Press the county had not received official notice from the state yet. Monmouth County would have 120 days from the state’s approval date to conduct the layoffs before approval expires.

In November, the county sought approval from the Department of Community Affairs to begin the process to consider transitioning to privatized landfill operations.

Although Monmouth County issued a request for qualifications back in February from private companies that operate landfills, and a subsequent request for proposals to companies the county deemed qualified was sent out in June, O'Connor told the Press that proposals are still under review.

For months, the landfill has garnered several complaints about the smells emanating from the center. The area experienced record rainfall in the same period of time, which has only aggravated the issue.

Monmouth County has also faced at least two lawsuits from separate contractors for work at the reclamation center: one company, Applied Water Management, Inc. accused the county in 2019 of mishandling operations at the landfill, with the latter accusing the county of wrongfully refusing to pay the company for its services.

The landfill has a $34.7 million budget for 2020. According to the report, the county has budgeted over $16 million over two years to address issues at the reclamation center.

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