Township Committee Working Session to Discuss the Future of Garbage and Recycling Collection in Mendham Township

January 13th at 7:00 p.m.

On Monday, January 13th at 7:00 p.m., the Mendham Township Committee is hosting a working session to discuss the future of garbage and recycling collection in Mendham Township. This meeting will take place in the Town Hall Meeting Room (2nd Floor, 2 West Main Street in Brookside).

In recent years, the costs of garbage and recycling have been skyrocketing. The Township temporarily avoided this cost surge because of its fixed three-year waste removal contract with RTS that started in 2023. However, as the Township prepares to bid for a new garbage contract in 2025, we expect to see a 50% jump in costs.

This substantial cost surge, when combined with other, non-discretionary cost increases (only about one-fourth of the Township’s budget is discretionary), would impose an unbearable burden on the Township budget. Municipalities have state-mandated tax and appropriation caps, which prevent us from absorbing an increase of this magnitude. The rest are fixed costs, such as salaries, benefits, insurance, etc. As a result, trying to fit the prospective waste management cost jump into the budget would require ill-advised cuts in critical services.

Over the past year, the Township Committee and Township Administrator Jason Gabloff, with help from the Finance Committee, has analyzed, explored and created a Solid Waste & Recycling Utility. This Utility would remove the cost of garbage and recycling from the municipal budget and establish a new system through which residents will pay for these services separately. This utility approach is used in many municipalities throughout New Jersey, including our neighbors in Chester Borough and Chester Township.

The Township Committee is looking forward to discussing this proposal and the future of garbage and recycling collection in Mendham Township on January 13th. We invite you to come, listen, and provide your thoughts and feedback.