By Donald Gilpin

Sustainable Princeton, working with municipal officials to meet the demands of Princeton’s Climate Action Plan (CAP), delivered a progress report at the September 23 Princeton Council meeting, zeroing in on two specific actions: evaluating, and implementing a plan for, waste streams; and reducing emissions in the built environment.

CAP, adopted five years ago, includes five different categories, 13 objectives, and more than 80 actions to be taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, preserve environmental quality, and enhance public health and safety.

The Sustainable Princeton presenters, Executive Director Christine Symington and Program Managers Jenny Ludmer and Alex Dill, pointed out significant progress achieved in working towards the CAP goals.

In the materials management category, the stated “community vision” is that “all Princeton community members are aware of the carbon emissions of the resources they use.” The action which Sustainable Princeton and the municipality are currently taking, said Symington, is to evaluate all waste streams (solid waste, recycling, food, leaf and brush, electronics, etc.) from all sectors (residential, commercial, and institutional) and implement a plan to save money and reduce emissions.

In 2022, with the assistance of DeFeo Associates environmental consultants, Princeton launched a new solid waste program with a cart-based system with 64-gallon carts collected weekly, along with a bulk waste collection weekly by reservations.

Councilman Leighton Newlin thanked Sustainable Princeton and the municipal engineering department for the bulk waste-by-reservation program. “It has improved the quality of life, especially for those of us who live in the more densely populated neighborhoods,” he said.

Ludmer stated that in 2023 Princeton collected 5,075 tons of solid waste.

She went on to note that in the area of leaf, branch, and log collection, following the completion in 2022 of a program study by DeFeo Associates, Sustainable Princeton had offered six recommendations for the municipality to consider: bag-only leaf collection, reduce leaf collection period to October to January, prohibit commercial landscapers from placing leaves on the curb, revise the town ordinance and establish specific collection periods, enforce limitations, and enhance education on leaving the leaves.

Changes in leaf, branch, and log collection in the wake of those recommendations have included hiring a community compliance officer; implementing a revised collection schedule; reducing spring leaf collection; eliminating summer log and branch collection; constraining the placement and time for collection; revising the leaf, branch, and log requirements to improve compliance; subsidizing composter sales in 2023; and collaboration of the municipality and Sustainable Princeton on education and outreach opportunities, including landscape training, maintaining a sustainable landscaper list, and educating residents.

In 2023, Sustainable Princeton reported, Princeton collected 11,645 cubic yards of material, which was transported to the Ecological Center in Lawrence Township. There are between 60 and 70 bulk waste-by-reservation pick-ups per week.

Ludmer reported on the food scraps program, which Symington described as “a way to direct food scraps other than to the landfill.” There are currently two collection sites, at the Municipal Building on Witherspoon Street and at Monument Hall on Monument Drive, with a plan to establish three additional sites in 2025. There are 223 participants.

“The goal is to spread sites throughout the town so that more people can participate,” said Ludmer, noting that Princeton has collected 24,260 pounds of food scraps at the two sites so far this year, with 18 tons total anticipated by the end of the year.

The annual emission reduction from this diversion of food scraps is about four mega tons of CO2 per year, the equivalent of growing 66 tree seedlings for 10 years, Ludmer pointed out.

Newlin, who has been using the composting program for about a year, urged others to join him. “It keeps your trash lighter,” he said. “Help us out. Do what’s right for you. Do what’s right for the earth. It’s a small ask. It’s not a heavy lift. It’ll keep your trash lighter and it doesn’t smell and it’s good for the environment.”

The second part of the Sustainable Princeton report focused on an objective and action that is number one in the Energy section of the CAP, with a community vision that “All Princeton community members efficiently use clean, reliable, and affordable energy.”

To that end, the desired action is to “accelerate residential and commercial participation in state and utility energy efficiency programs.” Earlier in September, Dill pointed out, the municipality, along with Sustainable Princeton, had launched energy efficiency outreach campaigns, one targeting homeowners and renters and another targeting businesses. Residents and businesses were urged to take advantage of numerous PSE&G programs and incentives to help manage energy use, reduce carbon emissions, and save money.

A front page Town Topics article last week urged readers to visit the residential campaign website at EnergyOutreachNJ.com/Princeton and/or the business campaign website at EnergyOutreachNJ.com/PrincetonSave.

Councilwoman Michelle Pirone Lambros thanked the three presenters. “Great leadership,” she said. “It’s really great to see the progress we’ve made since we went to the new cart implementation.”
She went on to note that she had participated in a PSE&G energy assessment. “It was pretty shocking the number of things that need to be done,” she said. “PSE&G had some really good programs to help. It’s really worthwhile. I’m looking forward to seeing the results in a decrease in my bills, but most importantly that I’m saving energy.”

She commended the Sustainable Princeton for their accomplishments and praised them for organizing a successful Sustainable Home Expo in March and the recent eCommuter Fest.

Council President Mia Sacks echoed Pirone Lambros’ praise for Sustainable Princeton, and also thanked DeFeo Associates and its principal Wayne DeFeo, “a huge help in moving us toward more responsible waste disposal.”

Symington thanked the Princeton Council “for keeping the CAP as one of your priorities.”