Recycling Facility At Issue

The Sussex County, N.J.  freeholder board is split on its decision to allow the construction of a new recycling facility in Sparta.

The freeholders approved, in a split 3-1-1 vote, to amend the county’s solid waste management plan, essentially moving along an application by Sparta-based Grinnell Recycling, Inc. to construct a 400 ton per day construction and demolition materials recycling facility.

The plan will head to the state Department of Environmental Protection for approval, officials said.

The vote came against the advice of the Sussex County Municipal Utilities Authority, which said construction of the facility could have both negative environmental and financial impacts on the county. SCMUA Administrator John Hatzelis said there may not be a need for a facility of that magnitude because the current Grinnell recycling plant only operates at 37 percent capacity, with only one-third of that waste generated inside Sussex County.

“Roughly only one-sixth of that facility is being used for Sussex County waste,” Hatzelis said. “The rest comes from outside the county. The obvious question then arises, ‘why would they need another one?’”

The SCMUA said another concern is that the proposed facility is an undetermined size. The application is vague and only says the building will have a concrete floor and will occupy 18 acres of a 115-acre lot. In a report to freeholders, the SCMUA wrote that the application also does not meet minimum requirements for amending the solid waste management plan and was “heavy on rhetoric and light on details.”

Hatzelis said if Grinnell is allowed to build the facility, it could have far-reaching environmental impacts because the company would be allowed to import commingled debris from all over the East Coast. That could result in various materials being transported through the county from demolished buildings. Because the material will not have been sorted, some of the debris may contain asbestos or mercury, which could seep into the underground water supply while waiting to be recycled, he said. The Germany Flats aquifer provides 4 million gallons of drinking water to Sparta residents each day, Hatzelis said.

The SCMUA also fears that if the facility is built, it will take away revenue from the authority, which still has $40 million in outstanding bonds.

Under state law, Grinnell must make its proposal to the Sussex County Solid Waste Advisory Council before asking that the solid waste management plan be amended. The 30-member SWAC then considers the request and makes a recommendation to the freeholder board, which has ultimate authority on whether the plan can be amended.