Lambertville Public Works Director Honored For Recycling Program

The NJ Clean Communities Council recently honored Lambertville City Public Works Director Lester E. Myers Jr. for supervising recycling initiatives that remove more than 1,200 tons annually from the municipal waste stream.

“Mr. Myers manages an innovative food-waste compost initiative and a single-stream recycling program that significantly benefit his community and the environment,” said NJCCC Executive Director Sandy Huber.

Lambertville began its “Third Can” program in 2014 to ensure that commercial food wastes were composted, instead of tossed out with the trash. The program started on a voluntary basis, but restaurants and other businesses that generate organic wastes are now required to participate.

The Third Can program prevents more than 15-percent of the city’s biodegradable waste from ending up in a dump each year, according to information from the NJ Clean Communities Council.

“The organics break down into soil and get reused,” said Myers, adding that the public school district and more homeowners now voluntarily participate in the “Third Can” program. To participate, homeowners pay a one-time $45 fee for a separate 32-gallon can that’s strictly for food and organic wastes.

The program now has 210 active participants. Click here for more details on the program.

Myers has been employed by Lambertville for 29 years. He says the “Third Can” program and the city’s single-stream recycling effort have resulted in substantial savings on annual disposal fees.

“These programs have worked out well for our town,” Myers said in a press release shared with Patch.

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