New Jersey Updates Solid Waste Plan

Wendy Angel

Trenton, N.J. -- The New jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has announced it will boost recycling rates through its first statewide solid waste plan update since 1993. The state has a goal 50 percent of municipal waste, and it is currently 1.7 million tons shy of meeting that goal.

"Recycling is not optional in New Jersey--it's the law," said DEP commissioner Bradley Campbell. "The new plan documents a troubling decline in New Jersey's recycling rates, planning and enforcement issues and inadequate funding that all require serious attention."

The new waste plan quantifies what is required of each county and also requires each county to update their own waste management programs to reflect the state’s new initiatives.