CAPE MAY CITY – The city is setting limits on its collection of recyclables under an ordinance that targets commercial establishments and multifamily homes that have put out excessive amounts of recycling for pickup.

Under the new regulations, adopted by the City Council Oct. 1, property owners of all types are permitted no more than two 96-gallon cans for city collection each week. Materials for recycling in excess of the new limits will be the responsibility of the property owner, who will have to arrange for private collection.

The move to establish the limits comes at the request of the Public Works Department, which has the responsibility for pickup across the city’s five zones. The city began recycling pickup in 2019 following upheaval in the international recycling world that significantly drove up prices locally.

City Manager Paul Dietrich said at a September council meeting that the point of the change was to “find the line where the city’s obligations end and a commercial business needs to arrange for its own pickup.”

Contact the reporter, Vince Conti, at vconti@cmcherald.com.