Punch cards proposed for bulk item drop-off
BY REBECCA MORTON
Staff Writer

MARLBORO - A new way of hand-ling bulk item recycling will be addressed at the Township Council meeting on July 12 at 8 p.m.

An amendment to the existing law that governs the drop-off of bulk items was introduced at the council's June 28 meeting. According to the amendment, the council has determined it is in the best interest of Marlboro and its residents to eliminate the current annual bulk drop-off usage fee and to institute a resident punch card for use of the township recycling center.

According to the amendment, a punch card will be issued by the township to a resident for the use of the recycling center. The fee for the punch card will be $50 and it will contain five spaces. One space will be punched each time a bulk item is dropped off at the recycling center.

Citizens age 60 and over will be charged $40 for the card. Only residents of Marlboro may purchase and use a punch card and proof of residency will be required for the purchase and use of the card. The punch card will not have an expiration date.

Residents currently pay an annual usage fee of $75 to drop off bulk items and an extra $25 to drop off items containing Freon, such as refrigerators and air conditioners. The $25 charge for the items that contain Freon will remain the same under the new punch card system, according to the amendment. In addition, the drop-off of those items will use one punch out of the five on the card.

Any residents who have already paid the annual fee as of the effective date of the ordinance amendment will still be allowed to use the facility without the punch card until Jan. 1. Any facility usage from Jan. 2 forward will require a punch card to be presented.

The $75 bulk drop-off fee went into effect in January 2006.

According to an article published in the News Transcript in June 2005, an ordinance to establish the fee was adopted on a 3-1 vote with Councilman Joseph Pernice, Councilwoman Patricia Morelli and Councilman Barry Denkensohn voting to adopt the ordinance. Councilman James Mione voted against the adoption of the recycling fee. Councilman Jeff Cantor was not present.

Pernice, Morelli and Cantor are still members of the council.

Mione said the fee was too steep and unwarranted. He said he believed the fee would encourage people to illegally dump items in Marlboro.

Morelli said she believed the fee was fair to all the residents in Marlboro.

Pernice said implementing the annual fee was a step the council needed to take to raise revenues.

The township maintains a facility near the Marlboro Recreation Commun-ity Center off Wyncrest Road that residents may use to discard certain bulk items such as wood, bicycles or household appliances.