Starting September 9, the City of Hoboken will change to a dual-stream system of recycling which separates aluminum, glass and plastics from paper. The switch will help increase recycling in Hoboken and reduce the City’s share of landfill waste, and could save taxpayers $200,000 in recycling costs per year. Recycling will still be collected on Monday and Thursday nights, with comingled recycling (aluminum, glass, plastics numbered 1, 2 and 5) collected on Monday nights. Paper recycling, which includes cardboard, will be collected on Thursday nights.
The switch to dual-stream recycling to reduce Hoboken’s contribution to additional landfill waste is the latest initiative in Hoboken’s Climate Action Plan launched by Mayor Ravi S. Bhalla to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and exceed the goals of the Paris Agreement. Currently, Hoboken’s single-stream recycling process results in only one-third of all waste in Hoboken being recycled.
As a reminder, comingled recycling (aluminum, glass, plastics numbered 1, 2 and 5) must be clean, dry and should be placed in blue covered bins. Paper recycling (paper, cardboard) must be clean, dry, flattened and bundled in cardboard boxes or tied with string, and should not be placed outside during rain. Plastic bags and styrofoam are not to be placed in recycling bins. In addition, glass bottles will be collected on Thursday nights in the limited business area (Washington St, Newark St, 1st St, 14th St, and Hudson Pl).
The Department of Environmental Services will be giving away free blue covered recycling bins (1 per every 5 units) at the Hoboken Recycling Center (256 Observer Highway, 9 am – 4 pm Monday through Friday, and 9 am – 1 pm on Saturdays). Residents can also pick up waste collection schedules and free Hoboken Recycles stickers at the Hoboken Parking Utility (94 Washington Street, 9 AM – 8 PM Monday through Friday, 9 AM – 1 PM Saturday). Magnets with the waste collection schedule will be available at both locations in September.
In addition to becoming the latest initiative in Hoboken’s Climate Action Plan, the new dual-stream recycling is another way Hoboken is keeping the streets and sidewalks clean from litter and pollution. The City recently passed new regulations banning all carry-out plastic bags and single-use styrofoam products, sponsored free “Adopt-a-Pet Waste Stations” for Hoboken property owners, and implemented over 80 new, modernized "H" trash and recycling cans with covers.
New regulations on styrofoam and all carry-out plastic bags
Last week, the Hoboken City Council unanimously adopted an ordinance put forward by Mayor Ravi S. Bhalla and the Hoboken Green Team banning the use of single-use styrofoam products, as well as all carry-out plastic bags from food service and retail establishments. Hoboken joins Cities across the country, including New York City, to ban single-use styrofoam products, also known as Expanded Polystyrene (EPS). The full carry-out plastic bag ban strengthens the original single-use carry-out plastic bag ban implemented in the City earlier this year.
“Hoboken is once again leading the way in promoting policies that will help improve our environment,” said Mayor Ravi S. Bhalla. “By eliminating single-use styrofoam products and all carry-out plastic bags, we are substantially reducing pollution on our streets and in the Hudson River, as well as non-biodegradable waste in our landfills. I thank the Hoboken Green Team for partnering with the City to implement this ban, and the City Council for their support.”
EPS is typically found in consumer products such as “foam” cups, containers, plates, and more. In 2011, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services added styrene, a chemical found in styrofoam products, to its list of known or possible carcinogens. EPS isn’t biodegradable and can last in landfills for 500 years or more.
The ordinance adopted by the Council also updates the single-use carry-out plastic bag ordinance passed by the City Council in June of 2018. Under the original single-use plastic bag ban, retail and food establishments were permitted to use reusable plastic bags at least 2.25 mils in width, that can carry a minimum of 22 pounds, and can be used at least 125 times, among other regulations. The reusable plastic bags will no longer be permitted.
Hoboken businesses will have six months to comply with the updated ordinance, drafted by Councilman Jim Doyle, with the Hoboken Green Team and the Department of Environmental Services providing direct outreach to businesses across the City as part of an education effort.
