OROHO: DROP INANE RECYCLING RULES Despite Rhetoric, Corzine Bureaucracy Wastes Time & Taxpayer Money

By Andrew Pratt

Senator Steven Oroho, R-Sussex/Morris, called on the Trenton Democrats to quickly move S-2453, which would repeal regulations issued by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) that mandate onerous educational requirements for volunteer municipal recycling coordinators.

New DEP regulations to implement the "Recycling Enhancement Act" contain a provision codified at N.J.A.C. 7:26A-11.1 regarding the appointment and qualification of municipal recycling coordinators. In addition to requiring that municipalities ensure that their recycling coordinator have sufficient educational background, employment experience and training to ensure compliance with the law, the regulations also mandate that the municipality provide both classroom and on-the-job instruction to augment the coordinator's skills.

The regulation mandates that training is to include such topics as "techniques of communication to the public" and instruction in "foreign languages." The mandate would be applied to coordinators with less than 10 years experience, and would require them to attend a nine class, 21-day program such as the New Jersey Recycling Certification Series offered by the Cook College Office of Continuing Professional Education.

"I represent small municipalities that employ volunteer recycling coordinators -- people who perform their tasks at little or no cost to the taxpayer," Oroho said. "Crushing volunteerism by mandating courses in public speaking and foreign languages for folks who are donating their time to make sure their neighbors put glass in one can and paper in another is just plain silly. Making the taxpayers pick up the tab for this new spool of Trenton-made red tape makes it an expensive joke.

"I recognize the importance of policies that improve our recycling rate, but we need to pursue this worthy goal in a smart way," Oroho said. "Our regulations should be supporting the people who want to make the environment better, not throwing bureaucratic barriers at them."

"The Governor insists that he has scrubbed the State budget 'line-by-line' for inefficiencies. Well here's a line he missed, and Senate Republicans will be happy to help him scrub the budget a little harder."

For more information visit www.senatenj.com

ANDREW PRATT can be reached via email at apratt@njleg.org.