Collingswood Saves with Shared Waste Services

A new shared services deal throughout Camden County means taxpayers won’t be throwing extra money away with their trash.

Thirty-four of 37 towns in Camden County—including Collingswood—joined into a three-year, trash disposal agreement that county officials say will save $1.3 million.

Although carting off the combined 187,600 tons of trash annually isn’t the sexiest of topics, the agreement with winning bidder Camden County Energy Recovery Associates means savings for towns forced to keep within a state-mandated 2-percent budget cap.

“When we work together as 34 municipalities, we can create economies of scale and get an amazing bid to lower our trash costs for the lowest amount in my memory,” Freeholder Jeffrey Nash said at a Wednesday press conference. 

Most Camden County towns pay $65 per ton for trash disposal now, according to the county. Some pay as much as $72 per ton. With the new deal starting Sept. 1, that rate will fall to $59 for the rest of 2012, $61 per ton in 2013 and $63 per ton in 2014.

What seems like a few dollars per ton quickly adds up. Collingswood, for example, produces 6,000 tons of trash annually, according to the county. At $65 per ton, disposal costs add up to $390,000. At the 2013 rate ($61), that cost drops to $366,000.

“Any time we can find significant savings in our budget, we’re happy to do so,” said Haddonfield Mayor Tish Colombi, who credited the partnership between county and municipal officials with creating the money-saving arrangement.

“We’re all dedicated to finding ways to soften the impact of budget cuts on our residents.”

Larger towns could see their trash disposal costs fall significantly under the agreement; smaller towns can maximize savings by increasing recycling rates.

“If we all work together to help each other, we can make a difference,” Nash said. “By recycling, we reduce the tonnage of trash—that’s good for our economies and that’s good for our environment.”

Three Camden County towns, Pine Valley, Tavistock and Winslow, decided not to join the agreement. Each town has the option to join later, officials said.

Residents likely won’t notice any visible change after Sept. 1. The arrangement is for , not for .

“We look on shared services (as) the future of local government,” said Audubon Mayor John Ward, who called the deal a no-brainer.

“You cannot turn your back on any opportunity for shared services. If something presents itself, you owe it to your residents to look into it, to make sure it makes sense for your residents and, hopefully, to act on it.”

Camden County has put an increasing focus on shared services in recent years, and this is one of the largest shared-service agreements in the county. Other big projects include shared services for plowing and salting involving most of the county, and animal control and the county animal shelter, which both have about 18 towns involved.

Trash disposal was by far an easier sell than, for example,  backed by some Camden County officials but, .

“What we are all about is saving money and working smarter,” said Somerdale Mayor Gary Passanante, who directs the Camden County Division of Shared Services.

“Today we’re talking about trash disposal and solid waste that saves us over a million dollars, tomorrow it will be something else.”