Getting into the recycling game in New Jersey isn't easy. It's expensive, and it takes a long time. And, you're not even guaranteed that you'll be able to open a business even if you have a great business plan. To top it all off, the State of New Jersey categorizes recyclable solid waste materials into four groups or "classes", which are not intuitively obvious or easy to figure out. Knowing which class of recyclable material is critical to anyone interested in getting into the recycling business in New Jersey, so let’s dive in and go over what Class A recyclable materials in New Jersey are.
Simply put, Class A recyclable materials in New Jersey are metal, glass, paper, plastic containers, and cardboard. In fact, the way we simply put it is Class A recyclable materials in New Jersey are more or less the types of recyclable materials you would either put in a can at your curb or take to your local recycling center.
So while your typical road-side recycling container is generally holding what New Jersey considers Class A recyclable materials, there's a bit of grey area when it comes to larger metal recycling facilities. For example, a scrap processing facility or auto salvage yard might not need a Class A recycling permit, but a metal recycler might. It's a somewhat confusing regulatory mess to get through, which we cover in our article Metal Recycling, Auto Salvage Yards, & Class A Recycling Approvals in New Jersey.
Well, like a lot of things in New Jersey, it pays to check what the regulations say! In this case, if we check the New Jersey Administrative Code, we'll find a definition of what Class A recyclable materials are. Here's the official definition:
"Class A recyclable materials means a source-separated non-putrescible material specifically excluded from NJDEP approval prior to receipt, storage, processing or transfer at a recycling center in accordance with NJSA 13:1E-99.43b, which currently includes sources separated non-putrescible metal, glass, paper, plastic containers, and corrugated and other cardboard."
That definition is pretty terrible, so let’s boil that down and take a look at the main points of what constitutes Class A recyclable material in New Jersey:
Getting a recycling approval in New Jersey isn't a walk in the park, regardless of what you're looking to recycle. And, add in the limited, but much easier to obtain recycling exemptions in New Jersey, and you have a confusing regulatory landscape to navigate to get your recycling business up and running. Here's a couple of relevant articles which you may find helpful relating recycling in New Jersey.
Still need help? We're here for you. Feel free to reach out to our New Jersey office at 609-693-8301, contact us online, or shoot us an email at info@rmagreen.com.