Recycling Center Isn't a Dump

Assumptions typically should be taken with a grain a salt.

For instance, assuming the place most Hopatcong residents call "the dump" is just that—a dump—is a thought that can lead to the awkward situation of being told you can't leave whatever item you planned on tossing out. What used to be the town dump has been converted into a recycling center. It's a place to drop off bags of leaves, brush, metal, paper products, aluminum cans, plastic bottles, tires, and clothes—but nothing else.

This is something the Department of Public Works employees, who run the recycling center on Wednesdays and Saturdays, cannot stress enough.

Bill Quail, 66, a DPW employee for 28 years, said that most people abide by the rules. But there are some who try to hide things that aren't accepted.

Items such as wood, electronics, and household trash are not welcome at the recycling center. The only option for those items is to take the 40-minute ride to the county dump in Lafayette and pay based on how much your trash weighs. Or to go down to town hall and pay $10 for a sticker that allows you to leave the item out with your trash. Even tires, which are accepted, require you to go to town hall and pay for a sticker that allows you to leave it at the center.

As for the items that are allowed, they are picked up and processed off site by a few private companies. Paper products, plastic bottles, and aluminum cans get collected by Trinity Recycling based out of Mine Hill. All the scrap metal is picked up by Raimo Salvage. The only item processed at the center is brush, which is chipped into mulch that sits in a giant pile and is free for the taking.

Dick McCormick, 60, who has lived in Hopatcong for 20 years, makes a mile-and-a-half round trip walk with his wheelbarrow to collect the mulch. He makes two trips every Wednesday before he goes to his EMT job at noon. The purpose for gathering the mulch, two wheelbarrow loads at a time, is to fix his yard, which was destroyed by the installation of sewers.

"I was one of the last spots they put the sewers in at," he said. "They didn't do the best job filling in my yard—it's uneven and doesn't look so good. They ran out of money."

But while McCormick might not like that he has to patch up his yard, he doesn't mind it as his weekly walks to the recycling center give him a chance to get exercise, enjoy the weather and have allowed him to meet his fellow townspeople, who he has found to be quite friendly.

"You really get a sense of community here," he said. "It gives you a good feeling."

And that is probably the most surprising thing about the recycling center. It's a place that if you hang out there long enough you'll inevitably find yourself in a conversation with someone or a group of people. That's not really what you'd expect from a place where the main function is to collect recyclable waste, but it goes to show that many Hopatcong residents are friendly and willing to give you a piece of their mind if you'll be as kind to give them your ear.

And while the recycling center might not be the most exciting place in town, it does have a certain charm, mostly because of the friendly folks who manage it. Jim Vanderhoof, Bill Quail, and Clean Communities coordinator Steve Guerriero don't mind the job even though it's a part-time gig. It gives them something to do, and allows them to interact and chat with fellow citizens.

Ed Ganning, an army veteran and a 25-year-resident of Hopatcong, had the following to say about the center:

"The recycling center is a pleasure to have. A lot of towns don't have recycling centers. This is fantastic. They treat you like a human being here…And it's here to be used not abused, and people [have] to understand that. We can't let it close."