Sussex County Municipal Utilities Authority

What Sussex County Municipal Utilities Authority does

Sussex County Municipal Utilities Authority (SCMUA) is a county-level government entity established in 1971 under New Jersey's County and Municipal Utilities Authority Law (NJSA 40:14B), headquartered at 34 South Route 94 in Lafayette, NJ. It provides three integrated environmental services to Sussex County residents, businesses, and member municipalities: solid waste disposal, recycling, and wastewater treatment. The Solid Waste and Recycling Facilities consist of a 3-phase sanitary landfill, a Residents' Convenience and Recycling Center, a Vegetative Waste Composting Facility, and a Wood Waste Mulching Facility, accepting household garbage, bulk items, tires, appliances, electronics, hazardous waste, asbestos, leaves, brush, stumps, and a wide range of recyclables — with the explicit policy of accepting only waste generated within Sussex County.

Wastewater service is delivered through three treatment plants: the Upper Wallkill Pollution Control Facility in Hardyston (3 MGD permitted capacity, with a 265,000 GPD MBR expansion completed in 2010), the Paulinskill Wastewater Facility in Frankford (170,000 GPD membrane bioreactor commissioned in 2017), and the Hampton Commons facility (50,000 GPD, serving a 300-unit development). These plants serve ten member municipalities including Franklin Borough, Hamburg Borough, Sussex Borough, Vernon Township, Hardyston Township, Wantage Township, Sparta Township, Branchville Borough, Frankford Township, and Hampton Township, with allocated treatment capacity per contract.

The business model is a hybrid of transaction-fee (per-pound/per-ton tipping fees at the scalehouse) and managed-services revenue (wastewater connection and service charges billed through member municipalities), supplemented by free recycling streams and event-based collection (monthly paper shredding, biannual hazardous waste and electronics events). SCMUA is governed by a nine-member Board of Commissioners appointed to staggered terms and is led by Executive Director Joseph Sesto, P.E., with departmental superintendents overseeing Solid Waste, Wastewater, Recycling Coordination, Watershed Management, and Finance. Approximately 20,000 residents and businesses access the Solid Waste Facilities monthly, and the Upper Wallkill plant has cumulatively discharged over 10 billion gallons of treated wastewater under sustained NJPDES permit compliance.

Name

Sussex County Municipal Utilities Authority

Legal name

Sussex County Municipal Utilities Authority

Website

https://scmua.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sussex County Municipal Utilities Authority is a government entity providing solid waste disposal, recycling, and wastewater treatment services to Sussex County, NJ residents, businesses, and ten member municipalities through a centralized Lafayette facility and three wastewater plants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Municipal Waste Management and Wastewater Treatment

NAICS

Solid Waste Collection (562111), Waste Collection (5621), Solid Waste Landfill (562212), Sewage Treatment Facilities (22132)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953), Sanitary Services (4950)

akta.pro primary industry

Solid Waste & Recycling Services Administration (BPAIACAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

C&D Transfer Stations & Consolidation (BPALAJAB)

Keywords

• Solid waste disposal
• Wastewater treatment
• Recycling services
• Hazardous waste management
• Municipal utilities

Headquarters

HQ city

Lafayette

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Tipping Fees and Disposal Charges: Revenue generated from waste disposal fees charged to residents and commercial haulers. Scale-based charging system where customers pay by weight for various waste types. Minimum scale charges apply.
2. Wastewater Treatment Services: Connection fees and service charges for municipal wastewater treatment services provided to member communities including Franklin Borough, Hamburg Borough, Sussex Borough, and portions of Vernon, Hardyston, Wantage, and Sparta Townships.
3. Recycling Services: Free recycling for residents at the Recycling Center for materials including paper, cardboard, glass, metal, plastic containers, motor oil, antifreeze, clothing, electronics (TVs/computers free), rechargeable batteries, cooking oil, and plastic bags.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Sussex County Municipal Utilities Authority provides solid waste disposal, recycling, vegetative waste composting/mulching, and wastewater treatment services to Sussex County, NJ residents, businesses, and ten member municipalities. The authority operates a centralized facility complex in Lafayette and three wastewater treatment plants (Upper Wallkill, Paulinskill, Hampton Commons), supplemented by event-based household hazardous waste, paper shredding, and electronics recycling programs.

Product overview

Sussex County Municipal Utilities Authority (SCMUA) is a public utilities authority providing environmental services to Sussex County, NJ residents and businesses. The organization operates as a multi-service utility with interconnected facilities including a Solid Waste Complex with 3-Phase Sanitary Landfill, Residents' Convenience and Recycling Center, Vegetative Waste Composting Facility, Wood Waste Mulching Facility, and multiple wastewater treatment plants (Upper Wallkill at 3 MGD capacity, Paulinskill at 170,000 GPD, and Hampton Commons at 50,000 GPD). On a monthly basis, approximately 20,000 residents and businesses access SCMUA's Solid Waste Facilities. The Authority also operates seasonal programs including Household Hazardous Waste collection events, monthly paper shred events, and biannual electronics recycling events. The services are provided through a centralized facility in Lafayette, NJ, with wastewater services extending to multiple municipalities throughout the county.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Solid Waste Disposal Services Provides environmentally sound disposal of solid waste for Sussex County residential and commercial customers, including household garbage, bulk items, construction debris, and Class B recyclables such as appliances, tires, and rigid plastic. Customers access the Lafayette facility for self-service drop-off with weight-based tipping fees.
• Recycling Center Services Full-service recycling center accepting paper, cardboard, glass, metal, plastic containers, motor oil, antifreeze, electronics, rechargeable batteries, clothing, textiles, cooking oil, and foam packaging at no or low cost for Sussex County residents.
• Vegetative Waste Management Composting and mulching facilities accepting leaves, grass clippings, brush, and stumps. Produces screened and unscreened compost available free for self-loading, and regular and colored mulch for purchase.
• Upper Wallkill Wastewater Treatment Facility Advanced secondary wastewater treatment facility with 3 million GPD permitted discharge capacity serving Franklin Borough, Hamburg Borough, Sussex Borough, and portions of Vernon Township, Hardyston Township, Wantage Township, and Sparta Township. Includes 265,000 GPD MBR expansion completed in 2010.
• Paulinskill Wastewater Facility 170,000 GPD membrane bioreactor treatment plant with ultraviolet disinfection serving Branchville Borough (144,000 GPD allocation) and Frankford Township (26,000 GPD allocation). Funded through USDA Rural Development grants and loans.
• Hampton Commons Wastewater Treatment Facility 50,000 GPD facility serving the 300-unit Hampton Commons Development in Hampton Township, with sewer service extended in 2005 to serve Hampton Lowe's Center.
• Household Hazardous Waste Collection Events Spring and fall household hazardous waste collection events accepting up to 100 lbs. or 10 gallons per resident at no charge. Additional quantities charged at $1.76/lb. Events held rain or shine, no appointment required.
• Paper Shred Events Monthly shredding events on the third Friday of each month from 9am-12pm in partnership with SK Paper Shred. Charge is $8 per volume equivalent or $45 for a 64-gallon shred container. No quantity limit; businesses welcome.
• Electronics Recycling Events and Daily Drop-Off Spring and fall electronics recycling events where all electronics are recycled for free with no quantity limit. Daily drop-off of TVs, computers, laptops, and printers also available at no charge during regular operating hours.
• Residential Convenience Center Drop-off facility for bagged garbage, bulk items, appliances, scrap metal, tires, propane tanks, rigid plastic, and other materials. Staff assists with unloading; operates Monday through Saturday 7am-2pm.
• Asbestos Disposal Services Special handling disposal service for asbestos and ACM by appointment only, accepting Sussex County-generated materials on Fridays at 10:00am. Requires proper containment, 10-day state notification, and compliance with NJAC 8:60-7 and EPA 40 CFR 61.145-155 regulations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 10 billion gallons of treated wastewater discharged by Upper Wallkill Facility while consistently meeting all NJPDES Permit requirements
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Morris County MUAminorOthersAlternative hazardous waste disposal referral option. Morris County MUA in Mt. Olive Township provides disposal services for limited amounts of hazardous waste from Sussex County residents by appointment for those who cannot attend SCMUA's twice-yearly events.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Waste Management Inc. Largest private-sector solid waste and recycling operator in North America. Competes with SCMUA for Sussex County commercial waste volumes and serves as the dominant industry benchmark for landfill, recycling, and collection operations.

Direct peers

• Gloucester County Utilities Authority: Gloucester County, NJ authority providing wastewater treatment and solid waste coordination services. Directly comparable institutional structure to SCMUA.
• Warren County Municipal Utilities Authority: Warren County, NJ municipal utilities authority providing solid waste and wastewater services to a small, rural county. Highly comparable to SCMUA in scale, geography, and service mix.
• Mercer County Improvement Authority: Mercer County, NJ authority operating solid waste, recycling, and environmental services. Comparable county-level utility authority with multi-stream waste services.
• Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission: Regional wastewater treatment authority serving multiple municipalities in northern New Jersey. Comparable wastewater treatment operations and NJPDES permit-driven compliance structure to SCMUA's Upper Wallkill facility.
• Atlantic County Utilities Authority: New Jersey county-level authority operating solid waste, recycling, and wastewater services for Atlantic County. Comparable multi-service utility model with landfill, recycling, and treatment plant operations.
• Bergen County Utilities Authority: New Jersey county-level authority operating solid waste and wastewater infrastructure for Bergen County. Closely comparable institutional structure and service mandate to SCMUA at significantly larger scale.
• Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority: New Jersey county MUA providing wastewater treatment and solid waste services to Camden County municipalities. Directly comparable institutional and operational mandate to SCMUA.
• Morris County Municipal Utilities Authority: Adjacent New Jersey county-level MUA providing solid waste, recycling, and hazardous waste disposal services to Morris County residents. SCMUA already has a referral partnership with Morris County MUA for hazardous waste overflow, confirming operational similarity.
• Burlington County Resource Recovery Complex: Burlington County, NJ solid waste and recycling complex under county administration. Comparable county-level solid waste authority operations and recycling center delivery model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/sussexcountymua

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sussex County Municipal Utilities Authority