RMA Blog

What Is Dirty Dirt in New Jersey?

tate@rmagreen.com (Tate Hunter) — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 17:23:18 GMT

What the Dirty Dirt Regulations Actually Require, Who They Apply To, and What They Mean for Your Business

"Dirty Dirt" is one of the strangest names in environmental regulation. It sounds redundant, like "wet water" or "cold ice," and most people who hear it for the first time assume it just means contaminated soil. But in New Jersey, "Dirty Dirt" is a nickname for a set of regulations that are far broader, far more consequential, and far more confusing than the name suggests. The law was signed in January 2020 and was created to crack down on illegal dumping and the improper handling of fill materials throughout the state. Its official focus is on what NJDEP calls "soil and fill recyclable materials," and it affects developers, contractors, trucking companies, brokers, property owners, and recycling facilities.

If you're moving soil, fill, concrete, or construction material from one site to another in New Jersey, this law probably applies to you. And if it does, the requirements are real: registration or licensing, material testing, documentation, and penalties up to $50,000 per violation for noncompliance. This article explains what Dirty Dirt actually means, how to tell if your material falls under the regulations, what you're required to do about it, and how it specifically affects Class B recycling facilities. If you're not sure where your operation stands, reach out to RMA and we'll help you figure it out.

What's It Like to Hire a Consultant for a New Jersey Recycling Approval?

dennis@rmagreen.com (Dennis Ruhlin) — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 20:33:15 GMT

What's It Like to Hire a Consultant for a New Jersey Recycling Approval?

If you're thinking about opening a recycling facility in New Jersey, or modifying an existing recycling approval to take in new materials or expand your operation, you've probably already figured out that this isn't a simple permitting process. Maybe you've started researching what NJDEP requires and realized there are layers you didn't expect. Maybe someone told you that you need municipal and county approval before the state will even look at your application. Or maybe you've already tried to navigate this on your own, hit a wall, and now you're wondering whether bringing in a consultant would actually help.

How Big Does My SPCC Oil Spill Containment Need to Be?

dennis@rmagreen.com (Dennis Ruhlin) — Thu, 28 May 2026 13:00:00 GMT

SPCC Secondary Containment: 110% Capacity vs. the 25-Year, 24-Hour Storm Event

If you've ever tried to figure out how big your SPCC secondary containment needs to be, you've probably run into the question: do I just size it to 110% of my largest tank, or do I need to account for rainfall too? Maybe you're installing a new tank, updating your SPCC Plan, or trying to make sure your containment areas are set up correctly before an inspection. And like most things in the SPCC world, the answer isn't black and white.

What Separates a Good Environmental Inspection from a Bad One?

chris@rmagreen.com (Chris Ruhlin) — Tue, 26 May 2026 16:45:55 GMT

Learning from Great (and TERRIBLE!) Environmental Inspections: How You Can Prepare

Environmental inspections happen. Whether it's EPA, your state agency, or a local authority, at some point, someone with a badge and a clipboard is going to show up at your facility and start looking around. The question isn't whether it'll happen. It's whether you'll be ready when it does. And the difference between a facility that sails through an inspection and one that walks away with thousands in fines almost never comes down to luck. It comes down to preparation, systems, and whether your team knows what to do when the inspector walks through the door.

This article breaks down what makes inspections go well, what makes them go badly, and the specific things you can do right now to make sure your next visit from a regulator is calm, predictable, and uneventful. If you'd rather have someone evaluate your readiness for you, reach out to RMA and we'll tell you exactly where you stand.

Can I Get My SPCC Plan Updated? Maybe!

dennis@rmagreen.com (Dennis Ruhlin) — Thu, 21 May 2026 17:34:13 GMT

Can You Update My SPCC Plan? Why We Can't Always Say Yes (and What We Look at Before We Answer)

"Can you update my SPCC plan?" We get this question every single week. Sometimes multiple times a day. And we completely understand why you're asking it. Something changed at your facility, or your five-year review is coming up, or you just opened the plan for the first time in a while and realized it doesn't look right anymore. You want someone to fix it, you want a price, and you want to move on with your day. That's totally reasonable.

Do I Need a Recycling Approval or a Solid Waste Permit? New Jersey Business Guide

doug@rmagreen.com (Doug Ruhlin) — Tue, 19 May 2026 13:10:19 GMT

Recycling Approvals vs. Solid Waste Permits for New Jersey Businesses: Find Your Answer Here!

If you're operating or planning to open a facility in New Jersey that handles materials like concrete, wood, soil, asphalt, or construction debris, one of the first questions you need to answer is whether your operation falls under NJDEP's recycling program or their solid waste program. It sounds like a simple distinction, but in practice, the line between the two is far blurrier than most people expect. And choosing the wrong path doesn't just mean a paperwork headache. It can mean months of delays, wasted application fees, and potentially starting the entire permitting process over from scratch.

What's It Like to Hire an SPCC Plan Consultant?

dennis@rmagreen.com (Dennis Ruhlin) — Fri, 15 May 2026 12:33:51 GMT

Bringing in a Consultant for SPCC Support: Our Process Explained

If you've figured out that your facility needs an SPCC Plan, the next step feels less obvious than the first. You know you need something done. You're just not sure what it actually looks like to get it done. How do you pick a consultant? What do they actually do? Are they going to show up, poke around your facility for a day, and then send you a bill and a binder? How long until you have a plan in hand? And maybe the biggest question: is the whole thing going to be a headache?