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Residents urge Essex County to limit incinerator use as commissioners approve waste agreements
Summary
Public commenters and community groups pressed commissioners to downsize or limit a Newark resource-recovery plant and to form a task force to reduce reliance on incineration; the board approved two ordinances and related contracts that county staff say continue current processing arrangements and lock in lower disposal rates.
Essex County residents and environmental advocates urged the Board of County Commissioners on Nov. 20 to halt plans that would lock the county into extended waste-disposal agreements with an incineration facility in Newark, arguing the plant adds pollution to already overburdened neighborhoods.
At the start of public comment, Arnold Cohen of Newark told the board he wanted two immediate steps: that the county "immediately downsize the incinerator" and stop accepting out‑of‑county garbage, and that commissioners form a task force to reduce reliance on the incinerator. Winfred Victor Hines, executive director of the Wequoi Haik Park Association, called incineration "outdated, expensive, polluting," and urged an Essex County citizen task force including residents, environmental-justice groups and health experts to explore recycling and composting alternatives.
Commissioners took up two previously tabled ordinances related to the county's disposal agreements. After a brief procedural motion to remove each from the table, the board approved ordinance O‑2025‑00013 and ordinance O‑2025‑00014 by roll call; Commissioner Gill recorded an abstention on both votes. The ordinances move forward a supplemental agreement and a publicly bid disposal contract described in board materials.
Wayne Defayo of the Essex County Utilities Authority told commissioners that the first ordinance was "a supplemental agreement between the Port Authority and the Essex County Utilities Authority for 5 years to continue using the resource recovery plant in Newark." He said the supplemental agreement "allows for, if necessary, additional tonnage from us, but not at the facility," and clarified "that facility can take no more material than it currently is permitted to take today." Defayo added that the newly approved contract will "lock in a rate for disposal for Essex County towns that is lower than 2021 and is the lowest rate in the state of New Jersey for disposal of solid waste."
Several commissioners and speakers, including Terry Seuss, urged the county to use the contract period to develop alternatives such as organics diversion and composting that could reduce the input to thermal processing facilities. Commissioners expressed interest in collaborating with municipal governments and community groups on waste-reduction strategies while approving the immediate contracting steps.
The board’s approvals do not by themselves increase the plant’s permitted capacity, county staff said; they authorize continued use and set contract terms with current vendors. Community requests for a resident-led task force and for limits on accepting out-of-county waste were recorded in public comment but did not result in a formal change to the contracts at this meeting.
The next procedural step is implementation of the approved agreements and continued outreach: county officials said they will work with municipalities and community leaders on longer-term waste-reduction measures while the contracts take effect.
