From the Port of Paulsboro – to the Shady Lane Nursing Home – to the DREAM Park in Logan Township, the Gloucester County Board of Commissioners are working in tandem with the Gloucester County Improvement Authority (GCIA) to provide outstanding economic development, educational, environmental and recreational opportunities to the region.
Although the GCIA programs range from providing financing for major projects to operating a first-class Nursing Home and Day Care, we both have the same goal of providing outstanding and exceptional services and value remains constant in everything we do.
One of the many services GCIA offers is the Office of Recycling!
In 1987, the Mandatory Source Separation and Recycling Act was signed into law. This New Jersey law requires all residents, schools, businesses, and government agencies in the state to separate and recycle certain materials from the regular trash in order to reduce the amount of garbage that requires disposal. The Gloucester County Solid Waste Management Plan requires all residents, businesses, and institutional facilities to recycle newspaper, glass bottles and jars, aluminum cans, bi-metal cans, and plastics (#1) & (#2).
Recycling also helps conserve natural resources. Every ton of recycled paper saves the equivalent of 17 trees, and we need our trees. Preserving landfill space is another very important reason to recycle. The more we recycle, the longer our current landfills will last.
Since 1989, Gloucester County has conducted a series of collection days where residents can drop-off theirHousehold Special Waste (HSW) Collections. Materials like paints, motor oils, light bulbs, pool chemicals and more are not accepted during routine pickups. In order to assist our residents with disposing of these items properly, we created Household Special Waste Collections that are held throughout the year.
In 2020, participants brought in 43,989 lbs. of paint, 16,515 lbs. of batteries, 41,364 lbs. of motor oil, 11,085 lbs. of antifreeze. These materials, which were all recycled or reused whenever possible, represent the greatest amounts ever collected through the County’s drop-off events.
County residents also deposited 151,501 lbs. of other HSW including propane tanks, solvents, pool chemicals, gasoline, fire extinguishers and pesticides. The total amount of materials collected during 2020 was a staggering 264,454 lbs.
The Board of Commissioners has named March as Tire Amnesty Month. Throughout this month, County residents can dispose of up to 15 passenger car and pick-up tires at no cost. In previous years, the GCIA has collected almost 10,000 tires during Tire Amnesty Month! The tires will be ground and the chips will be used for a variety of landfill construction projects.
GCIA also offers our Clean Communities Programs. This program allows youth groups such as scouts, athletic organizations, clubs, church groups and other not-for-profit organizations to raise funds by cleaning up a part of a community.
There are two programs to choose from when scheduling clean ups:
- Our Adopt-A-Road program is geared toward high school students.
- Our Adopt-A-Spot program is recommended for K-8.
These programs give our youth a sense of pride in keeping their community clean while doing a great service for the environment.
Stay tuned for more programs from GCIA’s Office of Recycling or visit their website to learn more.
The GCIA Office of Recycling is here to help. Whether you have a question about residential recycling or would like receive recycling education for K-8, the Office of Recycling has what you need to make informed choices for the environment.
The GCIA/Office of Recycling is located at the Gloucester County Solid Waste Complex (GCSWC) in South Harrison Township.
Don’t hesitate to reach out to the office with questions or concerns, we are here to help. Visithttps://www.gcianj.com/county-recycling/recycle-coach/ or call 856- 478-6045.
Respectively,
Robert M. Damminger
Director, Gloucester County Board of Commissioners