The 10 Best Environmental Consulting Firms to Help You Get a Recycling Approval in New Jersey
Getting a recycling approval in New Jersey isn't exactly a "fill out a form and wait a few weeks" situation. NJDEP recycling approvals can involve complex applications, public hearings, site plans, operating procedures, county solid waste planning applications, local approvals, stormwater permitting, traffic studies, process descriptions, A-901 licensing questions, and a whole lot of back-and-forth. The process is never easy, and it's never quick. And remember, NJDEP rules require approval before Class B, C, or D recyclable materials are received, stored, processed, or transferred at a recycling center.
So choosing the right consultant matters. For this article, we reviewed public information from Google, Bing-style search results, AI-assisted research, and the public websites of the firms listed below. Some of these firms we know personally or by reputation. Others came from online research. Either way, this is meant to be a helpful, fair, buyer-focused look at who appears to be a strong fit for New Jersey recycling approvals. If you're trying to figure out which firm is right for your project, reach out to RMA and we're happy to talk through your situation, even if we're not the right fit.
Table of Contents
1. DeFeo Associates
First on the list is DeFeo Associates, one of the more clearly relevant firms for this kind of work. Their website specifically highlights recycling, solid waste management, public works consulting, and knowledge of NJDEP recycling regulations. While we don't know these folks personally, we do know they have a great reputation. Honestly, if we weren't hiring RMA, we'd probably hire them.
Wayne DeFeo also appears as a Rutgers recycling instructor and is described as having more than 25 years of recycling and solid waste experience, which is a strong credibility signal.
What their website does well: they clearly live in the NJ recycling and solid waste world.
What's less clear: we didn't see transparent pricing or a very specific "here's exactly what we do for a NJ recycling approval" scope page.
2. CME Associates
CME Associates is a major New Jersey engineering and environmental firm with strong public-sector and solid waste experience. Their environmental page lists regulatory compliance, environmental permit procurement, solid and hazardous waste management, and landfill closure and redevelopment. CME also has documented solid waste engineering and permitting experience in New Jersey, including landfill permitting, NJDEP coordination, annual reporting, stormwater, and other regulatory services.
What they do well: deep engineering bench, strong NJ public-sector experience, and solid waste familiarity.
What's less clear: their website doesn't appear to spell out pricing or a recycling approval-specific package for private recycling businesses.
3. SCS Engineers
SCS Engineers is a national environmental consulting firm with a very strong solid waste background. Their website lists services for material recovery facilities, transfer stations, solid waste planning, stormwater, hazardous waste, and environmental compliance.
What they do well: big-firm depth, solid waste experience, and national resources.
What's less clear: we didn't find a New Jersey recycling approval-specific service page or published pricing, so you may not know what you're getting yourself in for.
4. Geosyntec Consultants
Geosyntec is another strong national firm with serious environmental permitting and compliance experience. Their website states that they provide environmental compliance support, auditing, environmental studies, cleanup, infrastructure engineering, and permitting services, with nearly 10,000 projects completed worldwide. They also have solid and hazardous waste experience, including permitting and design support for landfills, leachate systems, and transfer stations.
What they do well: technical depth, complex environmental work, and strong compliance capabilities.
What's less clear: their public website doesn't seem tailored to small or mid-sized New Jersey recycling approval applicants, and pricing isn't clearly published.
5. Terracon
Terracon is a large national consulting firm with environmental, geotechnical, facilities, and materials services. Their Northern New Jersey office page notes environmental consulting and materials testing services in the region.
What they do well: broad technical capabilities, national resources, and New Jersey presence.
What's less clear: recycling approvals don't appear to be a clearly featured service, and we didn't see recycling approval pricing or a defined NJDEP approval scope.
6. Dynamic Engineering Consultants
Dynamic Engineering Consultants has a New Jersey presence and offers engineering, environmental, planning, survey, permitting, and related services. They may be a good fit when a recycling approval project has a heavy site design, land development, planning, stormwater, traffic, or engineering component.
What they do well: land development and engineering support, which can matter a lot for recycling facilities going through the municipal approval process.
What's less clear: we didn't find a dedicated NJ recycling approval page, pricing, or clear recycling-specific experience on the website, so it's unclear what level of support they provide for recycling assistance specifically.
7. AECOM
AECOM is one of the largest environmental and infrastructure consulting firms in the world. Their environmental services include permitting, EHS compliance, remediation, water, waste, and natural resources management. They're the proverbial 900-pound gorilla, and they "do it all." AECOM is likely best suited for larger, more complex recycling or waste-related projects where major engineering, infrastructure, permitting, or public-sector coordination is involved.
What they do well: massive resources and complex project capability.
What's less clear: for a typical recycling entrepreneur or operator, their website doesn't present a simple NJ recycling approval pathway, scope, or pricing.
8. WSP / Golder
Golder Associates, with several offices in New Jersey, is now part of WSP after WSP acquired Golder in 2021. WSP described Golder as a global firm with more than 60 years of earth sciences and environmental consulting experience.
What they do well: deep environmental consulting resources and legacy Golder technical strength.
What's less clear: because Golder is now under WSP, buyers may need to do some digging to find the right team. We didn't see NJ recycling approval pricing or a clear approval-specific service package.
9. BRS, Inc.
BRS appears to focus heavily on brownfields, redevelopment, planning, sustainability, resiliency, and owner's representative services. Their website highlights New Jersey work, including Jersey City redevelopment and NJDEP-funded coastal resiliency-related work. They may be a fit when a recycling facility is tied to redevelopment, brownfield reuse, municipal planning, or complicated land-use questions.
What they do well: redevelopment and planning-oriented environmental work.
What's less clear: we didn't see strong recycling approval-specific content, pricing, or a defined recycling approval scope.
10. Resource Management Associates (RMA)
And yes, we had to include ourselves, because we think we're the best at getting you a recycling approval in NJ.
RMA has spent decades helping recycling facilities, industrial businesses, and waste-related operations deal with New Jersey environmental approvals, permits, exemptions, compliance, and agency issues. We've also made a very deliberate decision to publish more information online than anyone else in this space, including our pricing, scope of services, and even guidance on whether you actually need us or not for your project.
Our website includes a full New Jersey recycling approval resource center with articles and videos on approval types, Class A/B/C/D materials, exemptions, permitting, A-901 licensing, costs, timelines, stormwater, and related compliance issues. We also publish real guidance on whether you need a recycling consultant, how the NJ approval process works, and what recycling approvals may cost through our interactive pricing calculator.
What we do well: we're direct, highly experienced, and unusually transparent about pricing, timeframes, and what can go wrong.
What we aren't: honestly, we're not the biggest firm on this list. If you need a giant multinational engineering team, a firm like AECOM, WSP, or Geosyntec may be worth considering. But if you want practical, senior-level NJ recycling approval help from people who do this work all the time, we're a very strong fit.
Who's the Best Consultant for Your NJ Recycling Approval?
The best consultant depends on the project. If you need public-sector solid waste engineering, CME or SCS may be a good fit. If you need a huge technical bench, firms like AECOM, WSP/Golder, Geosyntec, or Terracon may make sense. If you want recycling-specific guidance from someone with deep roots in the NJ recycling world, DeFeo Associates is clearly worth considering.
And if you want a practical, transparent, highly experienced team that openly discusses pricing, timelines, approval types, and real-world NJDEP headaches, RMA is probably the place to start. There's no pressure, no obligation, and we're happy to tell you honestly whether we're the right fit for your project or whether one of the other firms on this list might serve you better. Reach out to RMA and let's talk through your situation.
