N.J. Stat. § 13:1E-99.15
Any county which has prepared and adopted a district recycling plan as an amendment to the district solid waste management plan required pursuant to the provisions of the "Solid Waste Management Act," P.L. 1970, c. 39 (C. 13:1E-1 et seq.), and the district recycling plan has been approved by the department prior to January 1, 1987, shall be exempt from the provisions of sections 3 and 4 of this amendatory and supplementary act. To be eligible for an exemption pursuant to this section, a county shall have established and implemented a county-wide mandatory source separation and recycling program for at least three recyclable materials, in addition to leaves, and shall have demonstrated that it has secured markets for these materials.
N.J.S. § 13:1E-99.15