MORRIS COUNTY — Medical waste, such as gloves, wipes, masks, and tissues, which are being widely used by all Morris County residents due to the COVID-19 pandemic, should not be placed into curbside recycling containers.

They are contaminants and must be put into the trash, advises the Morris County Municipal Utilities Authority, which handles recycling for 14 of Morris County’s 39 municipalities.

Recycling crews in many towns across the county are finding high rates of gloves and masks ending up in the recycling mix, with workers at recycling plants having to sort out these items by hand.

When these materials end up in the recycling stream, along with items such as plastic bags and plastic film, they can cause problems at the county’s recycling sorting facility. They can jam the rotating screens and cause equipment to breakdown.

At recycling facilities, workers must try to remove these items, along with any other unacceptable items, before they enter the automated sorting process.

Keeping these items out of the recycling stream is important to preventing system breakdowns and important to the health and safety of workers at the recycling facility.

For more information on proper recycling and trash disposal visit the Morris County MUA’s website by clicking here.

PARSIPPANY — Representative Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11) will hold a third COVID-19 telephone town hall on Thursday, April 23, focused on mental health and health care services. Representative Sherrill will be joined by mental health and medical professionals who will help answer questions from residents and she will give an update on what she has been doing to support COVID-19 response efforts in New Jersey.

“The COVID-19 crisis has touched every aspect of our lives,” said Representative Sherrill. “As our community faces the loss of neighbors and loved ones to the disease, economic hardship and uncertainty, and the isolation that comes from social distancing, we must take care of both our physical and mental health. Our town hall this week will focus on resources available to residents, and we will have medical professionals from the community on the line ready to answer questions about COVID-19 and testing.”

The town hall will also stream live at 4:50 p.m. directly on Representative Sherrill’s website.

WHAT:            Telephone Town Hall on Mental Health Services and Health Care Response
WHO:              Representative Mikie Sherrill
WHEN:            Thursday, April 23, at 4:50 p.m. EST
WHERE:           Residents can register for the Telephone Town Hall by clicking here.

MORRIS COUNTY — Meet Lily! This gorgeous cowgirl is ready to find her forever home after birthing and weaning her pups!

Lily was rescued from a local, municipal shelter where she came in very, very bad shape. Lily was part of a neglect case and they soon realized she was pregnant and reached out to us.

While Lily clearly had a hard life before coming to us, she could not be sweeter or friendlier with her family if she tried! Lily loves to cuddle, lay on your lap, and be a couch potato!a

Lily definitely enjoys a walk and a romp in the yard, but she is not a high energy pup despite her being so young. Lily is potty-trained and walks well on a leash. She would prefer a home with someone who is home more often than not because she loves being with people.

Due to her past, Lily has a hard time trusting strangers. She absolutely loves her family but will need people to understand her limitations with strangers. Lily can live with other dogs and children 16+!

If you’re looking for a dog who wants to give you all the love in the world and more, apply to adopt Lily today! If you are interested in adopting Lily, please fill out an application by clicking here.

Follow Wise Animal Rescue on Instagram by clicking here.
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MORRIS COUNTY — New Jersey became the first state to permanently ban the sale and distribution of flavored vaping products amid a national health crisis that has killed 60 people.

The law (S3265) became effective on April 20 after Governor Phil Murphy established a task force on vaping last fall. The flavors, some say, get kids hooked on nicotine. But vape shop owners say their customers predominately buy those flavored products, and that they will go bankrupt.

The bill introduced on December 6, 2018 (S3265) was sponsored by Senators Richard Codey, Shirley Turner and Joseph Vitale state “No person, either directly or indirectly by an agent or employee, or by a vending machine owned by the person or located in the person’s establishment, shall sell, offer for sale, distribute for commercial purpose at no cost or minimal cost or with coupons or rebate offers, give or furnish, to a person any electronic smoking device or any cartridge or other component of the device or other related product, including liquid nicotine, that has a characterizing flavor.” (Click here to view a copy of the bill).

Murphy also signed a law (S1647) that bans the use of coupons and rebates for vaping products, but he vetoed another (S4223) that would have increased penalties for shop owners caught selling products to people under 21. The governor did not sign the bill because it would have required an overhaul of the vapor shop licensing system and complicate taxes on products. (Click here to view Bill S1647 or click here to view Bill S4223).

These laws took effect on April 20.

MORRIS COUNTY — Morris County has risen to 4175 an increase of 432 cases since last reported on Friday, April 17. A total of 269 deaths have been reported in Morris County. In New Jersey a total of 88,806 with a total of 4,377 deaths.

The County of Morris, in partnership with Atlantic Health, is offering drive-thru COVID-19 testing at the County College of Morris, Dover Chester Road, Randolph, NJ 07869, in parking lot 1. Testing is scheduled beginning at 9:00 a.m. and is for Morris County residents only. There is no fee for the test.

To sign up for an appointment online click here for details.

The figures reflect COVID-19 positive cases as of the date and time indicated, some cases which may be pending, or have yet to be entered into the system.

Please note the following limitations and provisos related to the data above:

• COVID-19-related deaths are not included in this data.
• Pursuant to HIPAA, specific identifying health information of persons testing positive or who have passed due to the virus will not be released.
• Data reflects COVID-19 positive cases on dates and times indicated; some cases may be pending and are not yet entered.
• Data may not include cases with incomplete or incorrect street addresses or PO boxes. Such cases require additional investigation by local health officials.
• Figures do not include persons under quarantine/isolation due to exposure and who have not tested positive.
• The numbers, especially higher numbers, do not necessarily reflect community spread in a specific town. Various factors may be related to high numbers, such as increased testing and facilities with high-risk populations.
• This data should not be used to gauge if heightened precautions are needed in specific towns. Social distancing, hand hygiene, and preventive steps must be followed at all times regardless of the number of cases in a municipality.