Holmdel Launches Plastic Bag Recycling Program

HOLMDEL, NJ — This January, Holmdel Township launched a new recycling program that encourages residents to get rid of unused plastic bags by dropping them off in a new bin that's now up in the lobby of the Township building (4 Crawfords Corner Road).

Holmdel residents are asked to bring all plastic bags, including grocery bags, convenience store bags, bread bags, newspaper sleeves, bubble wrap and similar items, to two receptacles provided by Trex. The receptacles will be located in the lobby at town hall and at the Department of Public Works Recycling Center.

Each month, Holmdel Green Team volunteers will collect, weigh and bring the bags to a local participating drop-off retailer.

The program, called the Plastic Film Recycling Challenge, is done in partnership with Trex, the decking manufacturer.

In addition to protecting the environment, there is another incentive to Holmdel’s participation: The collected weight will be reported to Trex monthly, and, if 500 pounds of bags are reported after a six- month period, the company will donate a high-performance composite bench to Holmdel Twp.

“At first, 500 pounds sounded like a lot, but they say it is a bit more than 40,000 bags. That’s not a lot per household for a town our size,” said Janet Jakel, Holmdel Green Team member.

“We’re very excited about this program,” said Mayor Greg Buontempo. “That’s a significant amount of bags and other plastic that won’t end up in a landfill or, worse, in our waterways, where they can harm fish and other wildlife."

Holmdel recycling coordinator Victor Stevens emphasized that the bags must be clean, dry and free of any residue.

Residents with questions about the program should contact Victor Stevens at 732-946-2820 ext. 1952 or email at vstevens@holmdeltownship-nj.com. To learn more go to https://documents.trex.com/is/content/Trex/trex-community-recycling-challenge-information-sheetpdf.pdf