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Jun 12, 2025

Hunterdon County NJ garbage collection uninterrupted despite dump fire

Residential garbage collection throughout Hunterdon County will continue without interruption despite the April 23 fire that caused extensive damage to the county's transfer station. “The Hunterdon

Residential garbage collection throughout Hunterdon County will continue without interruption despite the April 23 fire that caused extensive damage to the county's transfer station.

“The Hunterdon County Division of Recycling and Solid Waste Services is working with local haulers to redirect them to other commercial regional waste processing facilities to ensure ongoing continuity of operations," said Karen DeMarco, director of the county's Department of Health.

Despite damage to the garbage processing area at the at the transfer station on Petticoat Lane in Clinton Township off Route 22, county residents who currently go to the transfer station for household recycling may continue to use the facility 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. The center will not accept household garbage, plastic bags, electronics or hazardous waste.

Residents who want to dispose residential bulk waste, the Warren County ResourceRecovery Facility is open for use by Hunterdon County residents. The facility is located at 500 Mt. Pisgah Ave. in Oxford with the same rules that apply to bulk waste disposal at the Hunterdon County Transfer Station.

"The county asks for the public’s ongoing patience as work continues to get the Transfer Station operational again," DeMarco said. "Residents should be aware that the fire damage was extensive and should be prepared for a long-term recovery.”

For more information, residents may call the Hunterdon County Division of Recyclingand Solid Waste Services at 908-788-1351.

Fifteen volunteer fire departments from throughout the county responded Wednesday afternoon to the stubborn blaze.

The fire began near the end of the workday, said Clinton Township Police Chief Thomas Rosa. An employee moving garbage and debris in the compactor building noticed a small fire within a debris pile. The employee notified a supervisor and 911 was called at about 4:35 p.m.

When police arrived, DeRosa said, the officers found a fully engulfed structure fire that sent billowing black smoke into the air that could be seen for miles.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

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