Norkis Pitches New Electronics Recycling; MUA OKs Teamsters Pact

SWAINTON – Charles Norkis, executive director of the Cape May County Municipal Utilities Authority, opened the March 5 meeting with the proposal of a plan to tackle the new problem of funding electronics recycling throughout the county. The issue has become a concern for municipalities since early February, when the MUA announced it would stop accepting consumer electronics.
The new plan would tally the amount of electronics recycling each municipality sends to the MUA every year. The per ton cost of disposal, currently $160, would be assessed against the total tonnage sent by each municipality, and that amount would be withheld from the municipalities’ annual recycling rebate. Participation in the program would be optional, at the discretion of each municipality. Deputy Director John Baron said of the proposal, “It’s smart, it’s using recycling money to fund recycling.”
Commission Chairperson George Betts added that using the recycling rebate was a “good idea because towns don’t include the recycling rebates in their budgets, due to the fact that the exact amount changes each year.”
Commissioner Carol Saduk raised concerns about towns that did not participate, speculating that residents may “simply cross the line into a town that does, to drop their TVs on pickup day.” Norkis noted that while the program would be optional for municipalities, he did not anticipate resistance, because this would be the most affordable way for towns to solve the problem.
“It doesn’t make sense for 16 different communities to have 16 different electronics recycling programs.” Norkis plans to contact municipalities with the proposal this week to gauge reaction and get feedback.
The Electronic Waste Management Act, which took effect in 2011, prohibits the disposal of items such as televisions and computers in landfills. The law mandates that electronics be recycled, and that the manufacturers of such products bear the cost. In late 2012, the manufacturers stopped paying the bills, leaving the MUA holding the bag. The MUA has offered to collect the electronics from the municipalities until June 30 at its cost, any new plan would take effect after that time.
Wave Award for Energy Savers
Baron announced that the MUA was receiving a Wave Award for Energy Savers, from the Association of Environmental Authorities. The award is in recognition of the authority’s efforts in seeking ways to better utilize existing supplies of landfill gas, and alternative fueling practices. It will be presented at a luncheon later this month. The award specifically highlights the new, two-megawatt generating plant, which went online in October, as well as the compressed natural gas (CNG) station, which will be completed later this year. The CNG station, located near the landfill in Woodbine, will be the first of its kind in the county.
Baron also announced that the MUA sold 3,171 Renewable Energy Certificates (REC’s) Feb. 21, at $15 each, for a total of $47,565. Commissioners granted approval for the sale of another 1,600 REC’s, approximately one month’s production.
Teamsters Contract Ratified
Commissioners voted to ratify a new contract with its employees of Teamsters Local 331. The contract provides salary increases of 1.5 percent for 2013 and 2014, and 2 percent for 2015 and 2016. It also provides that all employees hired after Dec. 31, 2012 will move to a new 17-step pay scale, which replaces the current nine-step pay scale. It will now take 17 years for an employee to reach their maximum salary, as opposed to nine. Union members have been working without a contract since Jan. 1, 2013. The union, which represents the operation, maintenance, and craft employees of the authority, approved the contract Feb. 24.
To contact Don Tozer, email dtozer@cmcherald.com.