Beginning Monday, January 6, full enforcement of dual stream recycling will begin. Hoboken switched to dual stream recycling in September, where recyclables are separated into a “comingled” stream of glass, aluminum, containers, cartons and plastics numbered 1, 2 or 5 (to be picked up on Monday nights), and a paper and cardboard stream (to be picked up on Thursday nights). Property owners not recycling according to the provided schedule may be provided with citations and the recycling put out incorrectly will not be picked up.
Comingled recyclables should be placed at the curb in a covered container or, if necessary, a clear plastic bag on Mondays after 7:30pm (9pm in the limited business area, including Washington Street). Paper and cardboard should be flattened then placed at the curb in a covered container, tied into bundles, or placed in a cardboard box or paper bag in a secure manner on Thursdays after 7:30 pm (9pm in the limited business area, including Washington Street).
Educational information, including video PSAs have been shared via Nixle and Hoboken social media, www.hobokennj.gov/recycling. Employees of the Department of Environmental Services and Hoboken Green Team volunteers educated the community about the changes to the recycling system at various events including the Fall Arts & Music Festival, Harvest Festival, weekly Farmers’ Markets, at Stevens Institute, and in lobbies of large buildings. Additional outreach has been done to property managers with informational flyers and meetings.
Initial enforcement of the dual stream recycling system began in November, 2019 with the “OOPS!” and “Violation” sticker initiative. Over the past month, 1,000 fluorescent green “OOPS!” stickers and 300 “Violation” stickers have been affixed to recycling that was not done “Right” in Hoboken. Stickers have been placed on containers, boxes, or bags that were recycled “Wrong”, noting what was done incorrectly. Beginning on January 6, 2020, items that are recycled wrong will be left at the curb, and property owners may receive summons.
WHY IT MATTERS: The switch to dual-stream recycling, as opposed to single-stream recycling, will help reduce the City’s share of landfill waste, and is the latest initiative in Hoboken’s Climate Action Plan to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. Hoboken’s previous single-stream recycling process results in only one-third of all waste in Hoboken being recycled. Previous to 2012, Hoboken utilized a dual-stream recycling system. The switch could also save taxpayers $200,000 in recycling costs per year.
PLEASE RECYCLE RIGHT: For more information on Hoboken’s Dual Stream Recycling, please visit www.hobokennj.gov/recycling or contact Hoboken’s Recycling Coordinator, David Calamoneri, at 201 420-2000 ext. 4000 or dcalamoneri@hobokennj.gov.
Mayor Bhalla and the City of Hoboken thank you for Recycling Right!
