Wyckoff Government Going 'Green' with Municipal Spending

Town Hall is about to get a little bit greener.

The Wyckoff Township Committee adopted a “green purchasing” policy Tuesday night, designed to introduce environmental considerations into the way the township buys materials in an effort to reduce waste and increase efficiency.

The policy, recommended by the Environmental Commission, is a part of the township’s push to achieve a higher level of certification from Sustainable Jersey, an organization that grades municipalities on efforts toward environmental sustainability. Wyckoff already has the organization's "bronze" status, but is looking for a silver certification.

“By including environmental considerations in purchasing decisions, the Township of Wyckoff can promote practices that improve public and worker health, conserve natural resources, and reward environmentally conscious manufactures, while remaining fiscally responsible,” the policy reads.

The policy resolution passed by the governing body sets up a committee to research and review purchasing, and instructs municipal departments to go green with their purchases “to the extent practicable”—in other words, without increasing costs or interfering with operations.

“We have a good track record here of getting the best price for everything we do,” Mayor Rudy Boonstra said Tuesday night in response to a resident concern that the policy would shift priorities in the municipal government away from fiscal responsibility.

“If applied properly this policy can actually save us money,” said Committeeman Brian Scanlan, noting potential cuts in energy costs from more efficient appliances.

The 11-page policy describes several environmental considerations that the township will make in future purchasing, ranging from an emphasis on recyclable materials, to reducing the amount of toxic chemicals used in janitorial supplies, to integrating more sustainable practices into building renovations and landscaping.

Under the policy, for example, when buying wood the township would give preferential treatment to a company known to harvest its lumber sustainably, assuming that this could be done without increasing the municipality's costs.

All of the efforts to trim the township's environmental impact must be done in a cost effective manner, the policy states. According to Environmental Commission chair Harriet Shugarman, this shouldn't be a problem.

“It can be both cost effective and set an example of being environmentally sustainable,” she said.

Beyond reducing the municipality’s impact on the environment and achieving the higher Sustainable Jersey certification, she added the policy could help support an already developing market for sustainable materials, where "green" products are already offered at prices comparable to non-sustainable goods.

“The price of all these things have come down, and are competitive with products that are not environmentally sustainable,” she said.