Wall Township Awarded $106,713 From NJ For Recycling Efforts

WALL, NJ - As part of a $16 million award grant to New Jersey municipalities to enhance waste reduction and recycling efforts, Wall Township was recently named one of two Monmouth County recipients of an award totaling over $100,000.

The awards are based on local governments’ 2018 recycling performance and are awarded through the state’s Recycling Enhancement Act. It’s funded through a $3 per-ton surcharge on trash disposed at solid waste facilities statewide, which the DEP then allocates back to municipalities based on how much recycling each community reports accomplishing during a calendar year.

“Thirty years after becoming the first state in the nation to enact a recycling law, New Jersey remains steadfast in its commitment to reducing, reusing and recycling solid waste,” Department of Environmental Protection Acting Commissioner Shawn LaTourette said. “By supporting our local government partners through these grants, we can deliver waste reduction and recycling programs that enhance the quality of life for all New Jersey communities.”

According to a news release, grants received by municipalities must be used to continue and improve municipal recycling programs. This may include pursuing educational visits to recycling plants, sponsoring waste collection events, providing recycling receptacles in public places and maintaining leaf composting operations.

“We are pleased to distribute grants for recycling initiatives that will educate the public about the importance of keeping our environment clean,” said Mark Pedersen, Assistant Commissioner for Site Remediation and Waste Management. “While New Jersey continues to be a national leader in recycling, these grants demonstrate our commitment to continually improve our recycling program.”

In 2018 ( the most recent year for which data is available), New Jersey municipalities and counties generated 23 total tons of solid waste, with 13.3 million tons recycled and 9.7 million tons disposed. This represents a total solid waste recycling rate of 58 percent. Solid waste includes municipal waste plus construction debris and other types of non-municipal waste.

Here are the municipalities that received grants of over $100,000 for 2018 recycling efforts:

• Bergen County: Paramus, $190,034; Fair Lawn, $142,154
• Burlington County: Florence, $105,695
• Camden County: Cherry Hill, $135,871; Camden, $117,450; Gloucester Township, $107,425
• Cumberland County: Vineland, $386,442
• Essex County: Newark, $328,618; East Orange, $111,604
• Gloucester County: Logan, $184,995; Mantua, $116,155
• Hudson County: Jersey City, $319,944; Secaucus, $$161,010; Union City, $122,917; Bayonne, $109,084
• Mercer County: Hamilton, $200,305; Robbinsville, $108,199
• Middlesex County: Edison, $265,870; South Brunswick, $243,868; Woodbridge, $239,802; Piscataway, $125,029; Monroe, $116,211; East Brunswick, $108,966; Old Bridge, $102,639
• Monmouth County: Middletown, $110,242; Wall, $106,713
• Morris County: Parsippany-Troy Hills, $188,816
• Ocean County: Toms River, $240,939; Lakewood, $148,992; Brick, $115,554
• Passaic County: Paterson, $248,632; Passaic, $153,337; Clifton, $140,305; Wayne, $103,805
• Union County: Plainfield, $107,356