Dennis Awards Recycling to ACUA

DENNISVILLE – At its regular meeting, Dennis Township Committee approved a new contract for recycling services. 
As of Jan. 2, the Atlantic County Utilities Authority (ACUA) was providing recycling collection service to the township which previously had been handled by the township’s Public Works Department.
All committee members voted in favor of the new contract except outgoing member, Lisa Salimbene.
In a statement provided by the Business Manager Pat Moran, ACUA President Rick Dovey was quoted as saying, “We’re really pleased to be able to include Dennis Township in our collections service area. It’s a new municipality for us, and the township has been very helpful. We are eager to begin and expect the transition to be seamless for residents.”
“Dennis Township residents should not notice any difference in service given that recycling collection services will continue to happen on the same days.
“Residential recycling collection will continue to be done every week, Monday through Thursday on the same day as trash collection, only now recycling will be picked up by ACUA.  “Commercial recycling collection, which had previously been done on Fridays, will now be done on the same day as residential collections for the businesses in those zones,” Moran said.
Moran added, “We were happy to find an efficient and cost-effective alternative to in-house recyclable collection, and we anticipate a great working relationship with the ACUA.  There will be no changes regarding materials accepted. 
“One change to note regarding pick-up days is that the ACUA will be collecting recycling on most holidays except for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day.”
Salimbene explained why she voted against the contract, “I voted no for a few reasons. The township has an excellent Public Works Department with full-time employment that comes with the added bonus of benefits. 
“My fear is that when the roads have been patched, the grass has been mowed (seasonal responsibilities- no roads being patched or township grasses being mowed in the winter), and the bulk pick-up has been collected, the community may wonder what else these township employees are doing; and do we need that many public work employees on the township payroll? 
“I’m afraid down the road, Public Works employee jobs may be in jeopardy.  It seems a slippery slope and I worry that other departments will be trimmed or become a ‘shared service.'”
To contact Camille Sailer, email csailer@cmcherald.com.