The Old Bridge township’s department of works deployed two workers to clear out the cooked pasta dumped along the New Jersey creek, as reported by local outlets.
In total, the pasta could fill up 15 wheelbarrow, NJ.com reported.
The viral photos of the bizarre and mysterious find have circulated puns of people wondering “ if whoever dumped the food will be sent to the penne-tentiary” and speculating if “the lead suspect is a man by the name of Al Dente.”
However, the origin story of how the macaroni and spaghetti noodles came to be stems from the loss of a military veteran’s mother, according to neighbors. They said he came across the stockpile of pasta while clearing out her house, and a neighbor’s Ring camera captured him dumping the pasta.
Keith Rost just moved into the neighborhood last week. He told NJ.com residents originally thought the pasta was hay and he was concerned about the man who allegedly dumped it.
As for Nina Jochnowitz, the resident who first posted photos on social media, she said this incident may not have happened if the city would offer bulk garbage pick up services, or at the very least a town dump. Source?
The government’s website notes that “Old Bridge does not provide sanitation services for household solid waste or bulk items;” but residents could employ private services instead. However Jochnowitz, a former township council candidate, told NPR private trash disposal companies can cost hundreds of dollars. A member of the community for 23 years, Jochmowitz said her neighborhood is a common place for dumping.
“My initial reaction is exactly what yours was,” Jochnowitz told NPR. “It was funny and humorous and mortifying. It’s funny because it’s pasta and not garbage; it’s humorous because you could make a lot of jokes. … and then I’m horrified because of course it is a potential contamination” for the nearby stream and river.”