The township is expected to save $16 million by entering into a new agreement to dispose of its sewer waste through the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission.

The council approved the agreement at a meeting Wednesday.

Instead of burning waste sludge at the sewer treatment plant, it will be transported to the PVSC in Newark and incinerated there. Sludge is currently incinerated and the ash transported to Pennsylvania every two weeks. The plant is located near the Department of Public Works garage on Dey Road.

“This is a win for both the commission and the township and is another example of how shared services can work and save tax dollars,” said Mayor Chris Vergano.

The $16 million in savings stems from system upgrades the township would have been required to install at the treatment plant by 2016 due to new standards from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The town had until 2014 to decide whether or not to make the switch, but officials examined the cost savings and decided to make the change now.

Robert Androsiglio, superintendent of the treatment plant, said the township hopes to start the new disposal process Jan. 1.

The town is expected to save $155,000 during the first year of the agreement.

Androsiglio said he expects the incinerator to be “mothballed” and not be used again once the new disposal process begins.

The PSVC operates the fifth largest wastewater treatment plant in the United States. 

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