The Point Pleasant Borough Recycling Center will be closed until Friday morning as police continue to investigate the dumping of pesticides and chemicals into household trash, police said.

The recycling center became the scene of a HAZMAT clean-up operation after two sanitation workers became sickened just after picking up trash at Curtis Avenue and Cedar Street Thursday morning.

The two workers were treated by the Point Boro First Aid Squad and released and did not need hospitalization, Fire Chief Daniel Mulligan had said at the scene.

The workers for Roselli, the private sanitation company that picks up the Borough's trash, alerted public works after they became ill. Public works contacted the police department, which called in the fire department and then the Berkeley Township HAZMAT unit.

The garbage truck was then driven to the recycling center on Arthur Avenue, off Route 88 and behind the Stop & Shop shopping plaza, Mulligan said. HAZMAT workers, wearing protective gear and masks, went through the trash at the recycling center to determine the type and extent of hazardous materials in the load, Mulligan said.

Police have identified the resident who dumped one to two gallons of liquid pesticides and a small quantity of dry household chemicals into their household trash, but no charges have been filed yet, said Police Captain Richard Larsen on Thursday afternoon.

"Charges are still a possibility, the investigation is still ongoing," Larsen said.

He said police had opened Arthur Avenue, the roadway between Route 88 and the recycling center, and cleared the scene at about 1:40 p.m.

When residents need to dispose of any pesticides, cleaners, household chemicals or anything else that may be hazardous, they must contact Ocean County officials who arrange for drop-off sites in different parts of the county, Larsen said.

A county official said on Thursday afternoon that the hazardous waste disposal program is starting on Monday in various locations. Those in the greater Point area should call (732) 506-5047 for more information or see attached PDF.