Information

News from the Somerset County Board of County Commissioners

Shanel Y. Robinson, Commissioner Director Ÿ Doug Singleterry, Commissioner Deputy Director

Sara Sooy, Commissioner Ÿ Melonie Marano, Commissioner Ÿ Paul Drake, Commissioner

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 30, 2023

Somerset County Recycling Collections May Be Delayed May 30–June 2

SOMERVILLE, NJ – Due to the Memorial Day holiday, some recycling collections scheduled for this week (May 30–June 2) may be delayed in Somerset County.

Residents should leave their recyclables at the curb, and the remaining items will be collected as soon as possible.

The Somerset County Recycling Division thanks residents for their patience and understanding.

To view the 2023 recycling schedule, visit: https://bit.ly/2023RecycleSched

To stay up to date with Somerset County events and information, sign up for free email alerts at www.co.somerset.nj.us/subscribe or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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Complete Press Release

Monthly First Saturday and E-Waste Drop-Off Events on Feb. 4

The drop-off events will be held from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Post Date: 01/26/2023 3:00 PM

BRIDGEWATER, NJ – Somerset County is hosting the monthly First Saturday and E-Waste Drop-off events on Saturday, Feb. 4, in Bridgewater and Hillsborough. These two free, monthly events benefit the environment by allowing residents to safely dispose of their items in one fell swoop.

FIRST SATURDAY
Residents can bring recyclables such as newspapers, junk mail and other acceptable items to the First Saturday of the Month Drop-off on Saturday, Feb. 4, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Somerset County Recycling Center, located at 40 Polhemus Lane, Bridgewater, NJ 08807.

Residents should remain in their vehicles: Staff will be available at every station to help residents remove their items.

Proof of residency is required: Residents must have a current driver’s license, valid lease, tax bill or any other bill that shows proof of their Somerset County address. Pre-registration is not required. Businesses and commercial vehicles are NOT permitted.

Items Accepted: Drop off up to eight tires – with or without rims – scrap metal, used motor oil, oil filters, antifreeze, and the usual curbside materials, including chipboard items, plastic bottles and containers marked #1 through #7. Chipboard items include gift, shoe, shirt- and all retail boxes, as well as cereal, cookie, pasta, cake and cracker boxes without the plastic liners, poster board, backing from writing pads, and empty dried-out steel paint cans.

Items NOT Accepted: Somerset County does NOT accept textiles at First Saturday of the Month Drop-off. Residents should continue to recycle used textiles at any local charity donation bin.

To learn more about First Saturday events, call the Somerset County Recycling Center at 732-469-3363. For a complete listing of recyclable items, recycling events and more visit https://bit.ly/Recycling2023.

ELECTRONIC WASTE DROP-OFF
HILLSBOROUGH, NJ – Dispose of items cluttering the home at the Electronic Waste Drop-off event to be held on Saturday, Feb. 4, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the South County Public Works Garage, located at 410 Roycefield Road, Hillsborough, NJ 08844.

Residents should remain in their vehicles until otherwise instructed. Residents are required to remove items without assistance and place items on pallets as instructed by the staff.

Proof of residency is required: Residents must have a current driver’s license, valid lease, tax bill or any other bill that shows proof of their Somerset County address. Pre-registration is not required. Businesses and commercial vehicles are NOT allowed.

Items Accepted: Computers (desktops and laptops), monitors (cathode-ray tube and flat panel), televisions (cathode-ray tube and flat panel), copiers, digital cameras, DVD players, e-book readers, fax machines, MP3 players, personal digital assistants (PDAs), printers, stereos, radio equipment, VCRs, audiovisual equipment, typewriters, camcorders, telephones, cellular phones, circuit boards, modems, telephone mainframes, keyboards, mice, scanners, cables, wiring, power supplies, mainframe equipment and controllers.

Items NOT Accepted: Batteries are not accepted. Residents can recycle hazardous waste, including lithium and rechargeable batteries at scheduled Hazardous Waste Drop-off events.

For a complete list of items accepted at the Electronic Waste Drop-off, contact the Somerset County Division of Solid Waste Management at 908-231-7109 or send an email to solidwaste@co.somerset.nj.us.

A complete listing of recyclable items, recycling drop-off events (First Saturday of the Month, Hazardous Waste, Rx Medicine, E-Waste) and more, are available at www.co.somerset.nj.us/recycle.

Use the free Recycle Coach app to get personalized and up-to-date recycling information.

To download the app, visit https://bit.ly/SCRecycleCoach2023.

Murphy Administration Announces Opening of Wait List for Statewide Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program

The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) announced that its Division of Housing and Community Resources will be accepting pre-applications for the statewide Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program Waiting List. People can go online at www.WaitlistCheck.com/NJ559 from 9 a.m. on January 17, 2023, to 5 p.m. on February 3, 2023, to submit a preliminary application to be entered into a lottery to get on the waiting list for a Section 8 voucher that can be used statewide for housing.

The Section 8 HCV Program is a federally-funded program administered by DCA that provides housing subsidies to New Jersey residents so they can obtain decent, safe, and sanitary housing. It is one of many programs DCA oversees to increase affordable housing opportunities in New Jersey.

All Section 8 HCV Program pre-applications will be selected through a random lottery process. Applicants who qualify for a preference will receive priority placement on the waiting list. Preferences include United States Armed Forces veterans and their spouses, people experiencing homelessness, domestic violence survivors, local residents, and people with disabilities. A total of 20,000 households will be selected in the random lottery, enabling those households to be added to the waiting list to be awarded vouchers as they become available.

The Section 8 HCV open enrollment period will coincide with this year’s NJCounts, which is the annual Point-in-Time Count of individuals and families experiencing homelessness in New Jersey. NJCounts will take place the night of January 24th and on January 25th. During the count, people experiencing homelessness will be encouraged to submit Section 8 HCV pre- applications and provided with assistance in completing the pre-application.

Applicants must be 18 years of age or older to apply or be an emancipated minor. An email address is required to apply. If an applicant does not have one, they can create an email address during the pre-application process.

The Section 8 HCV pre-application is available in 90 languages, which can be found at www.WaitlistCheck.com/NJ559 at the top right of the pre-application. If an applicant is disabled and needs assistance with submitting their pre-application during the open enrollment period, they can contact DCA at (609) 292-4080 and select Option 9 from the menu from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week to request a reasonable accommodation or send an email to customer.service@dca.nj.gov.

Applicants selected in the random lottery to be placed on the Section 8 HCV waiting list will be notified via email, which may take several weeks. Applicants can check their status after February 24, 2023, online at www.WaitlistCheck.com/NJ559. At the time of their selection, they must meet the income limits of the county where they want to live and provide proof of residency.

For more information concerning the Section 8 HCV open enrollment period, people can visit http://www.nj.gov/dca/.

A DCA fact sheet about rental assistance is attached.