BERKELEY HEIGHTS, NJ— Come March 8, 2021, the second week in March, recycling days in town will change from Wednesday, Thursday; to a Monday, Tuesday split, due to a significant increase in recycling tonnage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I wanted to give everyone an update with what’s going on with recycling. Since COVID has happened we’ve [Giordano Companies Inc.] have seen an increase in volumes that have been very very high,” said Tiffanie Nyzio of Giordano Companies Inc., the recycling contractor serving Berkeley Heights.
The realities of quarantine living amidst the COVID-19 pandemic is causing people to generate unprecedented quantities of recycling “tonnage,” explained Nyzio. To better serve the recycling needs of residents in town, Giordano will switch Berkeley Heights’ recycling days, along with some other municipalities they serve — including neighboring New Providence — to a Monday, Tuesday split come March.
The change in scheduling allows for Giordano to provide an additional truck to its Berkeley Heights routes, ensuring recycling items throughout town can be hauled to their offloading site in Newark, NJ. Recycling pickups in Berkeley Heights are offered twice a month with the first day covering the east side of town and the second day covering the west side.
Nyzio, representing Giordano, spoke to the Town Council during the Thursday, Dec. 8 meeting. The change in scheduling will not affect Berkeley Height’s contracted rate with Giordano according to Nyzio.