Glen Ridge looking for new options after recycling plant burns down

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GLEN RIDGE, NJ — A fire that destroyed the recycling plant where Glen Ridge residents’ recyclables go to be sorted is still causing temporary changes to recycling pickup in the borough — and these changes could become permanent. Atlantic Coast Fibers has been completely shut down after the fire caused an estimated $22 million in damage, according to a Jan. 30 story on NJ.com. The fire started late on Jan. 29.

“Right now we’re in a holding pattern to see what’s going on,” borough administrator Mike Zichelli said in a phone interview with The Glen Ridge Paper on March 8. “We’re seeing if we can keep single stream or if we’ll have to go to dual stream.”

Glen Ridge collects all recycling at once — paper, plastic, metal and other recyclables need not be separated by residents and instead are picked up collectively. Because the Passaic plant was the closest to Glen Ridge and there are not many others in the region, long-term solutions will have to be explored. Atlantic Coast Fibers is a family-owned company with three other plants, located in Tinton Falls, Neptune and Lakewood.

The borough’s recycling is now being taken to another plant, but Zichelli said that will probably last for only one more month. Glen Ridge would like to remain with single-stream pickup. There are two contracts to consider when choosing a new site, one for hauling and one for processing.

“We would love to keep it the same if it’s financially possible,” he said. “But there might not be a single stream that wouldn’t change out contracts.”

According to officials, 25 different fire departments from four counties responded to the fire. All of the plant’s employees were accounted for, and one firefighter was injured. The Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives determined that there was no foul play involved. After the fire was put out, the building was demolished.

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