Politics & Government

On Special Offer at Town Hall: A Holmdel Tote Bag

Two hundred already gone. Don't miss out.

Seen around town: the boxy, roomy tote in mulberry, branded Holmdel.  Durable yet lightweight. Environmentally friendly. And not for sale. 

The only way to get this  special edition Holmdel tote bag is to bring 20 plastic bags to the Recycling Dept. at Town Hall. In exchange, a resident can get two multiple-use Holmdel totes. The big idea is to reduce the usage of plastic bags. 

To date, 200 tote bags have been handed over the counter, said Holmdel Township Recycling Coordinator Barbara Kovelesky, who began promoting the BagSmart program in November. On Feb. 2, every member of the Township Committee arrived at a budget meeting hauling files in the totes.

Find out what's happening in Holmdel-Hazletwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The program is run by Penn Jersey Paper. Goodwill Industries comes weekly to Town Hall to pick up and recycle the mostly supermarket- and clothing-store bags which would otherwise be buried in landfills or clogging waterways. They consolidate the plastic in 1,000 to 1,300 lb bales, and deliver it to Trex Company of Winchester, Va., to be used in composite lumber. 

Three hundred recyclable totes are still available, said Kovelesky. So its not too late to look under the sink or the side of the refrigerator for swappable bags. 

Find out what's happening in Holmdel-Hazletwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Kovelesky was able to purchase the BagSmart totes with part of a $32,195 state grant from the Recycling Tonnage Grant Program.  This amount is what the state paid Holmdel for its recyclable haul, from residential and commercial companies. In 2008, that amount was $32,505. The money gained from recycling must be spent on recycling-related education and promotion efforts, she said.  

Other uses for the proceeds, such as school assemblies and shredding events, are in the planning stages. "Shredding events are very popular in Holmdel," said Kovelesky.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here