Thanks to a decision by the Town Council at its last meeting of 2015, residents will now be able to put cardboard and “chipboard” (like cereal and pasta boxes) out with with mixed paper for curbside pick-up. The new policy begins on the south side of Verona on Tuesday, January 5, and on the north side of Bloomfield Avenue on Thursday, January 7.
In the past, these paper products were not supposed to be put in regular garbage. Cardboard, in particular, can cost Verona more money on its garbage pickup because it quickly fills up the garbage trucks, leading to higher fees at the dump. But it has been an uphill climb to get residents to bring cardboard and chipboard to the properly marked containers at the Recycling Center. Allowing them to be picked up curbside should increase recycling rates of both commodities. What do you do now? Simply flatten all cardboard and put it at the curb with your bins or bags of mixed paper.
Verona is also changing recycling procedures for electronics. Since 2009, it has been illegal to put things like TVs and computers at the curb in Verona, though some residents have been slow to get that message. Electronics contain many toxic components that can pollute land and water, so the town allowed residents to put discarded devices by the fence at the Recycling Center on any day that it is open.
But, after an audit of recycling practices across its municipalities, Essex County has recommended changes to electronics recycling. Verona will now have four set periods for electronics recycling every year, specified days when these items can be brought to the Public Works Garage on Ozone Avenue, just around the corner from the Recycling Center.
The first two days for electronics drop-offs are Friday, January 15 and Saturday, January 16. There will also be drop-off days in April, July and October.
The easiest way to remember all these changes is to put an app called Remyndr on your smartphone. As MyVeronaNJ.com reported last year, Remyndr is a free app that was developed by Verona resident Tom Cherry to help all of us remember when to put what at the curb. There’s more information on all aspects of recycling on the Website of the Verona Environmental Commission.
