J.P. Mascaro & Sons landed a contract to haul Morris County, N.J., garbage to the Keystone Sanitary Landfill in Dunmore.
The Audubon, Montgomery County-based company's $135 million, 5-year contract, will bring 65 new jobs and 400,000 tons of municipal solid waste annually to Bucktown.
The company is hiring 65 people and is renovating an old truck depot at 124 Mona-han Ave. in anticipation for the biggest contract in the privately-owned company's 50-year history. In late January, Mascaro will begin operating two Morris County solid waste transfer stations in Mount Olive and Parsippany that receive solid waste from curbside pickup in Morris County. There, waste will be consolidated into the trailers for the trip through the Delaware Water Gap to its destination at the Keystone Sanitary Landfill.
"This contract, by reason of its size, location and prestige, will give our already successful business a tremendous boost, and ... will solidify our northeastern Pennsylvania operations," said company President Pat Mascaro in a prepared statement.
The company has been angling for this contract for 20 years but always finished second to national hauling giant Waste Management, said company spokesman Frank Sau. This recent round, Mascaro was the second-lowest bidder among eight companies. But Morris County Municipal Utilities Authority declared Mascaro the lowest responsible bidder, prompting a court challenge from two losers, Waste Management and Covanta 4Recovery of Morristown. A New Jersey Superior Court judge threw out the challenge earlier this month, clearing the way for Mascaro to handle the trash.
The company has purchased 27 new trucks and 68 trailers and is renovating a 5,000-square-foot depot on Monahan Avenue to house the new division. The depot will be used to house and service the trucks. Mascaro is hiring Class A licensed drivers at a base salary between $47,000 to $54,000 annually.
"Many Class A drivers are long haul and have to spend nights on the road," he said. "Here is a stable industry, new equipment, and an opportunity to be home every night."
Each of the 27 trucks are expected to make two to three trips daily between Dunmore and Morris County.
Mascaro is among the 25 largest haulers in the nation and among the largest privately-owned, Mr. Sau said. Mascaro's red truck and blue elephant logo is a well-known in the local waste industry, having operated a depot in Nanticoke since the early 1980s and providing curbside pickup for several municipalities, including Clarks Summit, Old Forge and Hanover and Carbondale townships.
Contact the writer: dfalchek@timesshamrock.com