Frequently Asked Questions
Solid Waste-Recycling Facility Questions
The Solid Waste Facility, Residents’ Convenience and Recycling Centers are open from 7:00 AM to 2:00 PM Monday through Saturday. See website for holiday schedule.
The Administration Building is open from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM Monday through Friday. Ring the bell in the lobby for assistance.
No, the SCMUA does not rent dumpsters, nor does it provide solid waste or recycling pickups. So please contact your municipality or private vendors.
Scale house
You will weigh your vehicle on the inbound scale, and then receive a tag with a number on it. You then follow the blue arrows to the Resident’s Convenience Area, Tag Holder lane. After you unload, drive to the outbound scale, turn in your tag and pay the difference in weight according to type of waste. (There is a $10 minimum scale charge). You may pay with Cash, Check, or Credit Card.
Residents’ Convenience Center
Take the bypass lane to the right of the scalehouse, and follow the blue arrows to the Residents’ Convenience Area, Bagged Garbage lane. Staff will remove your bagged garbage, weigh it and hand you a ticket. You can then drive to the small scalehouse and pay at the window by Check or Cash only.
Plan to purchase only what you will use. Check if you can donate extra paint to neighbors, school or community theaters. If you must dispose of it, add kitty litter or sand to the can, allow it to dry out, and then dispose as garbage. Reminder: Only oil-based paints are only accepted at the SCMUA during Hazardous Waste events.
Residents may recycle up to 10 fluorescent tubes at no charge at the Residents’ Convenience Center. You will be charged a scale fee for additional tubes.
The NJDEP requires that any and all commercial vehicles have an A901 self-generator decal affixed to the vehicle. The SCMUA is NOT the issuing agency for this decal. For more information on the NJDEP decals you may go to www.wastedecals.nj.gov
The use of a U-Haul/Home Depot/Lowes/etc. vehicle to transport solid waste is not allowed. These types of vehicles are commercially registered with Motor Vehicle Commission, and that type of motor vehicle registration requires any vehicle transporting solid waste to be registered as a solid waste transporter by the NJDEP.
The use of a U-Haul/Home Depot/Lowes trailer for solid waste transportation purposes in the State of New Jersey is allowed as the trailer is registered as a “trailer” with the Motor Vehicle Commission.
You may bring televisions, computers, laptops or printers any day during operating hours at NO charge. You may bring other electronics (CD players, radios, cameras, keyboards, speakers, etc.) to the Residents’ Convenience center any day during operating hours at a charge of $.15 per pound paid by Cash or check only. All electronics are FREE during the spring and fall Electronic Waste Event days. Dates are noted on the SCMUA website. (Note : microwaves, air conditioners, lamps, etc. are not part of the Electronics recycling program, but may be taken to the Residents’ Convenience Center during any of our normal operating hours for a fee).
These are bulk items, and they are charged as such ($125/ton or 0.0625 cents per pound over the truck scales). There is a $10 freon removal charge in addition to the weight charge. The door does not have to be removed from the frig/freezer.
REMINDER: There is a $10 minimum scale charge for using the truck scale system.
Yes, you can bring your vegetative waste to the SCMUA. The charge is 2 cents per pound, with a $5 minimum scale charge. Per SCMUA’s Rate Schedule, passenger type vehicles (i.e., automobiles, SUV’s, residential pickup trucks) shall not be charged for two or less barrels/bags of leaves, brush or lawn clippings.
Yes, the SCMUA accepts up to 4 tires at the Residents’ Convenience Center for $4.50 each (car), $11.00 each (truck without rims) or $21.00 each (truck tires with rims). CHECK OR CASH only. If you have more than 4 tires, you must weigh on over the main scale at a charge of $375/ton or $0.19/pound. All oversized tires (>12R 24.5) are $100 per tire.
The SCMUA ONLY accepts in-county waste. You may apply for asbestos disposal using an application located in the “Asbestos” tab on the SCMUA website homepage. See this application for details. Prior approval and an appointment are necessary for asbestos disposal. The charge is $250 per ton. ($10 minimum truck scale charge).
The SCMUA does not have a Hazardous Waste Permit, which is why we can only accept Household hazardous waste twice a year on the designated days. (Usually, the first Saturdays in June and November).
If you missed or cannot make the designated HHW days, the Morris County MUA, Mt. Olive Township does provide disposal services for limited amounts of Hazardous Waste from Sussex County Residents by appointment. For more information on the Morris County MUA Program call 973-631-5109 or https://mcmua.com/sw_hhw.asp
Yes, the SCMUA does take bulk items at .0625 cents per pound over the main scales, with a $10 minimum scale charge. You may pay with check, cash, and credit cards at the main scales.
You may drop off any unused medications at a local police station.
http://centerforprevention.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/2015-Rx-drop-box.pdf
If it is in liquid form, the police station will not take it, so instead, fill it with coffee grinds, cat litter, or dirt, seal it up, black out the label and put it in the regular garbage.
The SCMUA accepts 1 pound propane tanks, 20-pound grill sized propane, and Balloon Time helium tanks. The charge is 15 cents per pound at the Residents’ Convenience Area.
The SCMUA DOES NOT accept large 100 lb. propane tanks.
Yes! You can bring clean and dry produce bags, store bags, ice bags, Ziploc bags, case overwrap (ex: water bottle cases, paper towel and toilet paper cases, etc.), bread bags, dry cleaning bags, bubble wrap and salt pellet bags to our Recycling Center. Click here.
You may bring these items to the SCMUA where they will be priced as regular garbage but are separated by the SCMUA attendants for recycling if possible.
No, the SCMUA has a compactor at the Recycling Center for cardboard.
You can recycle hard or soft cover books in good condition in the BookDrop bins located at the Recycling Center at no charge. Please place any soft cover books in poor condition in the Mixed paper bins at the Recycling Center, free of charge.
Hard cover books in damaged condition are regular garbage unless the pages are separated from the cover binding. The pages can go to the Recycling Center in the Mixed paper bins – free of charge. Covers are placed into the garbage bins.
The SCMUA offers monthly Shred events in conjunction with SK Paper Shred on the THIRD Friday of each month from 9am – 12pm. The charge is $7 per volume equivalent of a paper grocery bag or $40 for a 64-gallon shred container. The vendor only accepts Cash or Check payment. Shredding is done on premises at the event. There is no quantity limit and businesses are welcome.
The SCMUA does not accept plastic nursery pots, hanging baskets, or trays but you may bring them to either Home Depot or Lowes.
The numbers on the bottom of plastic containers refers to the type of plastic resin, and not all are able to be recycled through existing markets. The SCMUA accepts empty, clean and dry plastic containers with #1, #2 or #5 symbols.
You may bring clean, dry, rigid polystyrene foam (ex. Rigid foam from electronics/appliance boxes or foam coolers) to the Recycling Center at no charge. We do NOT accept packing peanuts, styrofoam cups/plates/take out containers, or flexible foam packaging.
The SCMUA accepts construction debris from Sussex County residents and businesses. The charge is $125 per ton or .0625 cents per pound. Commercial vehicles need proper NJDEP decals to dump solid waste. (See below)
NO rechargeable batteries (especially lithium-ion) should ever be thrown in the trash or curbside recycling bin! Click here for more information. The SCMUA accepts rechargeable batteries < 11 lbs. and <300 watt hours at its Recycling Center. Vehicle lead/acid batteries are accepted at the Residents’ Convenience Area (scale charge applies).