County MUA: Recycling May Ease Tax Bite

SWAINTON –– There may be a direct correlation between separating recyclables and your tax bill.
That is because the Cape May County Municipal Utilities Authority (MUA) offers per-ton municipal recycling rebates.
The rebates are not guaranteed, as it depends on whether the authority and its service partner, FCR Inc. can turn a profit collecting and selling the county’s recyclables.
FCR receives 20 percent of the profit while the county’s 16 municipalities get the rest in proportion to tons of waste recycled.
FCR operates the Cape May County Intermediate Processing Facility (IPF) and is able to negotiate better prices for recyclables as it deals with larger quantities on a national level, Executive Director Charlie Norkis said.
The MUA pays a fixed rate for the FCR to operate the IPF, therefore the more tons recycled equates to a cheaper per-ton operating cost.
“We would like to see more emphasis and enforcement on recycling because there’s a lot of money for towns to make,” Norkis said.
The MUA Oct. 15 discussed what percent each municipality recycles in comparison to the amount of waste each produces as part of its Regional Recycling Program.
Barrier island communities lead the county in percentages of household solid waste recycled. Sea Isle City has the highest amount at nearly 35 percent, Avalon at 33.9 percent and Stone Harbor at 31.86 percent household solid waste recycled.
Norkis said it’s difficult to compare the island communities to the mainland because they do not have landscaping recyclables, leaves, trees and grass, which don’t directly reflect what people source separate.
Municipalities pay $60.75 for every ton of trash brought to the MUA. Last year towns received a $26.21 rebate per-ton of mixed paper, bottles, cans and mixed rigid plastics.
The rebate amount is expected to increase this year in relation to the rising market price of aluminum, plastics and newspaper in the first half of the year, Norkis said.
He said there is a direct relationship between the prices the MUA can sell recycled materials and the amount rebated to towns. Norkis said the projected municipal recycling rebate for this year is $28 per-ton.
The Average Commodity Revenue (ACR), the median price fixed to particular recyclables, has increased for a year-to-date total of $160.93 per-ton compared to $124.48 per-ton at this time last year.
The county’s year-to-date net gain on recyclables is $454,366.69, more than double $223,386.85 received last year.
The net gain has doubled, however Norkis said the ACR has not because of other factors such as maintenance, which is paid for with revenues.
The first half of the year was lucrative, however, Norkis said the tumultuous state of the economy could undoubtedly affect the ACR rate for the second half.
He said he is hopeful the rebate will increase this year and continues to encourage towns to recycle.
“We have already begun to see the ACR drop, but not as much as the stock market,” Norkis said.
This year the authority issued $730,670 in recycling rebates to Cape May County’s 16 municipalities for 27,873 tons of source separated recyclables those communities sent to the IPF in 2007.
In the 1990s the state set a goal as part of the master solid waste plan to recycle 60 percent total solid waste and 50 percent of municipal solid waste, which is collected from residents, businesses and institutions.
In June, the county processing facility received over 2,960 tons of waste materials and the county had an overall recycling rate of 22.25 percent, exceeding the first half of the year report for June 2007, which was at 21.64 percent.
Each municipality has a recycling coordinator who oversees individual town programs.
Bridget O’Connor serves as county recycling coordinator.
Contact Truluck at (609) 886-8600 ext. 24 or at: ltruluck @cmcherald.com.