United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5306W)
EPA-530-F-99-017e
October 1999
www.epa.gov/osw
Clifton,   New  Jersey
56% Municipal Solid Waste Reduction
(44% Residential Solid Waste Reduction: 68% Institutional/Commercial
Solid Waste Reduction)
Overview
    In 1996, Clifton diverted 56% of its municipal solid waste
from disposal (38% through recycling; 18% through
composting). Clifton diverted 44% of city-collected material
and an impressive 68% of materials generated by businesses
and institutions not served by city waste management
programs. The city collects eleven categories of recyclables in
its curbside  program and its drop-off recycling center accepts
thirteen categories of material (nine of which are also
collected curbside).  Residents are required by local ordinance
to recycle other categories of materials, such as textiles, but
must do so through private recyclers. The city also offers its
residents and small businesses curbside collection of yard
debris. Private trash haulers and recyclers primarily serve the
city's businesses and institutions, which are required to recycle
22 types of materials.

Keys to High Waste  Reduction
    Clifton's waste diversion success is driven by high waste
disposal fees, state and local recycling mandates, strong local
markets for  recycling, composting yard debris, and an active
recycling coordinator. Tip fees in New
Jersey have traditionally been among the
highest in the nation. Waste diversion
   offers many New Jersey businesses and
   communities a less expensive alternative
   to disposal.  Clifton's residential
   recycling  ordinance requires every
  household served by the  city-operated
   waste management program to source-
   separate and recycle 18 categories of
   materials. Another ordinance requires
    Clifton businesses and  institutions to
    recycle  22 materials.  Recycling-based
     manufacturing is prevalent in New
      Jersey and Clifton is near many
      companies that use recyclables as raw
                                 DHALU
                                  POPULATION: 75,000
                                    (1996)
                                  HOUSEHOLDS: 31 ,000
                                    (1996)  25,500 single-
                                    family  homes and
                                    duplexes, 5,500 in
                                    dwellings with 3 or
                                    more units
                                  BUSINESSES: 3,100
                                    (1999)
                PROGRAM SUMMARY
                                       1987
                     1996
               Tons Per Year MSW     110,172     110,925
                 Tons Per Year RSW       49,310       54,211
                 Tons Per Year ICW       60,862       56,714
               Percent MSW Diverted      15%        56%
                 Percent RSW Diverted       12%        44%
                 Percent ICW Diverted       18%        68%
               Average Ibs./HH/dayi
          9.83
10.14
               Net Program Costs/HH!  $153.38     $177.73
                  Disposal Services       $144.98     $147.64
                  Diversion Services        $8.40      $30.08
               Key: MSW = municipal solid waste RSW = residential solid waste
                   ICW = institutional and commercial waste
               Notes: 1987 dollars adjusted to 1996 dollars using the GDP deflator.
                  Numbers may not add to total due to rounding.
               1 Figures reflect public sector collection from 26,200 households and
                  1,300 businesses served in 1987; 28,000 households and1,300
                  businesses in 1996.
                                            Source: Institute for Local Self-Reliance, 1999.
   This profile is part of the fact sheet Cutting the Waste Stream in Half: Community Record-Setters Show How (EPA-530-F-99-017).

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               materials. Clifton diverts 18% of its total
               municipal solid waste (28% of its city-collected
               waste) through composting. Residents and
               small businesses divert materials through the
                              city's seasonal curbside collection
                             programs for leaves and other
                             yard debris and its year-round
                              brush collection program.
                           Clifton's recycling coordinator has
                         assisted local businesses in locating
                         markets for materials, performed
                  waste audits, and provided advice on
               ordinance compliance. The coordinator also
               gives talks to civic groups and schools on reuse,
               environmental purchasing, and  recycling.
                   Participants in the  city's curbside recycling
               program must  sort glass containers, cans, and
               paper products into seven streams for collection.
               Collection of sorted materials allows the city to
               market materials directly, avoiding the cost of
               processing and allowing the city to retain all
               revenue from sales.
 MATERIALS RECOVERED IN PUBLIC SECTOR PROGRAM
CURBSIDE:
  newspapers, magazines
  mixed paper (phone books, paperboard, mail, paperback books, hardcover
   books without covers, office paper)
  glass containers
  cans
  white goods
  scrap metals
  leaves, brush, grass clippings, holiday trees, and other yard and garden
   debris
  corrugated cardboard (businesses only)

 DROP-OFF:
  All materials accepted in curbside program (except white goods and scrap
  metal) plus:
   corrugated cardboard (from residents)
   aluminum plates and trays
   #1 and #2
   plastic bottles
   residents can
   deliver car
   batteries for
   recycling to the
   City Garage at no
   cost
      PUBLIC SECTOR WASTE  GENERATION
            PER CUSTOMER PER DAY
    I
               1987     1992     1996
                        Recycling
    Note:  Residential waste generation per household is not available
    as Clifton serves businesses on its residential routes. Figures above
    thus reflect pounds of waste generated per customer (
    residents and 1,300 businesses) per day.
   Source: Institute for Local Self-Reliance, 1999.

Cost- Effectiveness
    The city's solid waste management costs
increased from $153 per household in 1987 to
$178 per household in  1996. During this same
time period, per ton tip fees for trash more
than tripled in constant dollar value from $36
per ton to $112 per ton. If the tip fee in 1996
had only been $36  per ton and all other costs
stayed the same, per household costs would
have been $99.  Therefore, the  increase in per
household costs can wholly be accounted for
through the increase in trash tip fees.

Tips  for Replication
       Collect materials source-separated.
       Enforce mandatory programs in order
to boost both the quantity and quality of
participation.
   Contact
    Alfred DuBois
    Recycling Coordinator
    City of Clifton Dept. Of Public Works
    307 East 7th Street
    Clifton, NJ 07013
    PHONE: 973-470-2239
    FAX: 973-340-7049

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