New this year: Kean University has added county-wide drop-off points for household hazardous waste.
Union County, NJ – February 3, 2022 – The 2022 Union County Recycling Calendar is now available online at ucnj.org/recycling. The free annual program covers secure paper shredding for personal documents, safe disposal of hazardous chemicals and other wastes commonly found in and around the home, and recycling of scrap metal.
“Union County’s free recycling events are some of our most popular programs, and we encourage everyone to take advantage of these opportunities to conserve resources, prevent identity theft, and protect the environment,” said said board chair Rebecca Williams.
Open to all Union County residents, the first event begins in March and the schedule spans the summer and fall.
For the safety of all attendees and staff, all Union County recycling events are drive-through only and non-contact. Residents must remain in their vehicle at all times. Items to be recycled should be loaded into an easily accessible trunk or loading area for staff to remove.
The first paper shredding event of 2022 will take place on Saturday, March 26and, at the Union County Vocational and Technical Schools campus at 1776 Raritan Road in Scotch Plains. The program provides residents with a free service that helps prevent identity theft. As a reminder, professional documents are not accepted during these events, it is only for personal documents. All paper is safely shredded onsite by an approved recycler. The program will visit additional sites each month in 2022, including Plainfield, New Providence, Clark, Cranford, Rahway, Union Township, Westfield and New Providence. For the full schedule, visit ucnj.org/recycling/mobile-paper-shredding.
The first household hazardous waste event of 2022 will take place on Saturday, April 9and at Union County College, located at 1033 Springfield Avenue in Cranford. This program provides residents with the opportunity to remove potentially hazardous items and supplies from their home and yard and dispose of them safely. Residents can bring their old or unwanted household cleaners, pool supplies, pesticides and other household chemicals to these events, among many other items. To see a list of accepted and prohibited items, visit ucnj.org/recycling/household-special-waste.
For the first time ever, Kean University will co-sponsor a household hazardous waste event with Union County at its Union Township campus on June 4.and. The program will also visit the Vocational and Technical Schools campus at Scotch Plains this year.
Union County scrap metal recycling sites are located in Cranford and Kenilworth. Visit ucnj.org/recycling/scrap-metal for times and locations.
To help local home recycling programs run as efficiently as possible, we remind residents to keep plastic bags out of their recycling bins. Vendors will reject cans and bottles mixed with plastic bags, which will increase the cost of recycling for local municipalities. Residents who wish to recycle electronic items, polystyrene block foam or used motor oil can contact their municipal recycling coordinator or visit ucnj.org/recycling for information on these items.
To request a printed copy of Union County Paper Recycling Programs by mail, call the Bureau of Recycling and Planning at 908-654-9890. To keep up to date with all local and county-sponsored recycling programs, residents can download the free Recycle Coach app for mobile devices.
For details on all of the county-sponsored free recycling programs and other recycling opportunities, including contact information for local recycling coordinators and instructions for downloading the Recycle Coach app, visit the Office of Recycling and Union County planning online at ucnj.org/recycle or call the Union County Recycling Hotline at 908-654-9889.
For quick links to all of Union County’s environmental programs and activities, visit The Green Connection, ucnj.org/green-connection.
For more information and updates on all Union County services during the COVID-19 outbreak, including free vaccination, free testing, emergency food distribution, and other services support, visit ucnj.org/covid19. General information about COVID-19 is available from the New Jersey Department of Health at nj.gov/health.
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For all Union County programs and services, visit ucnj.org, call the public information line at 877-424-1234, email [email protected], or use the online contact form .
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