Franklin Lakes January 16, 2013 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 5 Borough awards new garbage, recycling contracts By Frank J. McMahon The Franklin Lakes Council has awarded three separate contracts for garbage and recycling that will substantially reduce the borough’s costs for these services. Borough officials emphasized that there would be no reduction in the scope of services provided to the borough. According to Franklin Lakes Borough Administrator Gregory Hart, over the five-year period of these contracts, the borough will realize over $575,000 in savings. In addition, Hart said the borough “will realize additional revenue from garbage and recycling collection and disposal and the marketing of its recyclables.” A five-year garbage and recycling collection contract was awarded to Advanced Waste Systems, Inc. of Pompton Plains, the low bidder, for $2,032,147 over the fiveyear period. “This represents a savings over current garbage and recycling collection rates of $306,353, or over 13 percent, “ Hart advised. “In addition, yard waste collection will be extended for an additional month under the new contract, and the hauler will no longer be receiving revenue from comingled recyclables as this revenue will now go to the borough.” A separate five-year contract for garbage disposal was awarded to the low bidder, Interstate Waste Services Inc. At a recent distribution meeting, the Franklin Lakes Lions Club presented a total of $25,000 in donations to various groups and charities. The club raised the money through events held over the past year. These included hosting the circus, sponsoring games at the town fair, hosting a wine tasting night, and co-hosting a carnival with the Wyckoff Lions Club during the summer. Charities that received donations from the Franklin Lakes Lions Club include The Turning Point, Paterson Memorial Day School, Franklin Lakes Meals on Wheels, Franklin Lakes Fire Department and First Aid Squad, Camp Marcella, Lions Eye Bank, Lions Eye Research, Saint Joseph’s School for the Blind, ARC, Center for Food Action, Children’s Heart Fund, Christian Health Care Center Pathways Program, Eastern Christian Children’s Retreat, Emmanuel Cancer Foundation, Eva’s Village, Fair Lawn Opportunity Center, Oasis, Paterson Habitat for Humanity, Saint Joseph’s Hospital Children’s Foundation, YWCA Rape Crisis Center, and Chai Lifeline. The Lions Club is an international service organization whose main focus is to help the blind and less fortunate. The Franklin Lakes Lions Club is comprised of local men and women who work to give back to the community. The club meets once a month for a dinner meeting and is currently seeking new members. For further Local Lions Club donates $25,000 of Jersey City, the borough’s current vendor, in accordance with a cooperative purchasing bid solicited by Wyckoff as the lead agency for the Wyckoff, Oakland, Franklin Lakes Cooperative Purchase group. The $62.50 per ton rate in the bid for 2013 is a 10 percent reduction in the rate paid during 2012, Hart said. This is the second successful bid for garbage disposal by the cooperative purchasing group that was formed by the three neighboring towns to leverage the purchasing power of those municipalities. “This contract is projected to save the borough $124,000 over the five-year term,” Hart said, “and save nearly $500,000 for the three municipalities.” The council also awarded a five-year contract for the marketing of its recyclables to Greenstar of Paterson. Under this contract, the borough will receive payment for newspaper and mixed paper and will receive payment, for the first time, for commingled recyclables. For mixed paper, the borough will receive a payment based on an indexed rate, with a floor rate of $50 per ton. For commingled recyclables, the rate will be $40 per ton. “The borough projects that the additional revenue from commingled recyclables alone will be approximately $30,000 per year, or $150,000 over the term of the contract,” Hart said. “The borough continues to find ways to reduce costs to taxpayers without compromising service,” Mayor Frank Bivona said of the new contracts, adding that even more savings will be possible if the borough recycles more. “We pay for garbage removal and we get paid for recycling,” Bivona said. “Recycling helps our planet and our wallets.” Jim Jones of the Center for Food Action (left) accepts a check from Lions Club Treasurer Dr. Robert Warsak. information about the club, and to attend a dinner meeting, call Dr. Robert Warsak at (201) 891-6065 or e-mail drrobertwarsak@verizon.net.