Monmouth County rejects Marpal expansion
Residents opposed plan to increase trash at station
BY KAREN E. BOWES
Staff Writer

Much to the relief of neighbors, Marpal, the garbage transfer station near Tinton Falls' border with Middletown, will not be allowed to expand its operation.

Last Thursday, the Monmouth County Freeholders unanimously rejected the company's proposal to increase the daily amount of tonnage allowed into the transfer station, currently capped at 450 tons per day.

"The board is of the opinion that [an expansion] does not benefit the citizens of the county," said Freeholder Clerk James Gray, reading the board's prepared statement on the matter during the meeting, held in Long Branch.

Gray further reported that the freeholders will be investigating the matter of truck traffic along Swimming River Road/County Route 50 in hopes of rerouting garbage trucks to other roads. Marpal accepts waste from construction sites, such as broken concrete slabs and other bulky items.

Two weeks earlier, neighbors of the facility told freeholders that Marpal was destroying their quality of life. Rumbling garbage trucks begin their routes at 4:30 a.m., rattling chandeliers and china throughout the day.

Truck drivers speed through the neighborhood on their way to the transfer station, said many of the 40 or so residents who turned out for the July 19 meeting. Without sidewalks, the trucks pose a real threat to pedestrians along the curvy road. Barbara Thorpe, a resident of Swimming River Road for 39 years, described the suburban tree-lined street as "a turnpike in a residential neighborhood."

Marpal's General Manager Richard Maio talked at the time about his company's commitment to providing studies on air quality and other environmental factors, if the expansion was granted.

Before making its way to the freeholders, Marpal's proposal was already approved by the Monmouth County Solid Waste Advisory Council. In response to this, Middletown and Tinton Falls both wrote to the freeholders, expressing their dissatisfaction with the station's expansion.

Last Thursday, residents applauded the decision, many having attended multiple county meetings on the topic in an effort to have their opinions heard.

Walter Graham, of Lincroft, thanked the freeholders for their decision.

"That means a lot to us," Graham said. "The trucks are horrendous on this road and if you had voted yes, it would have just doubled that."

"I'm here to definitely express my appreciation," said Tinton Falls resident Gary Szymanski. "It's a monkey off my back."