New Jersey officials award $16.2M in annual recycling, waste reduction grants

Officials from New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration announced late last week that via the state’s Recycling Enhancement Act, $16.2 million in grants is being awarded to communities across New Jersey to help enhance recycling and waste reduction programs.

The grants are awarded through the state’s Recycling Enhancement Act and funded through a $3-per-ton surcharge on trash disposal statewide at solid waste facilities. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) then returns that money to municipalities based on the amount of recycling each community reports during the calendar year.

“Recycling remains as important as ever and allows us to conserve resources, reduce pollution and greenhouse gas emissions and keep communities sustainable,” DEP Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette says.

This year, the awards are based on 2022 recycling performance, the most recent year for which data is available. Municipalities must use the funding for various recycling initiatives, according to DEP, which include enhancing collection, updating recycling depots or convenience centers, sponsoring household hazardous waste collection events, providing recycling receptacles in public areas and maintaining leaf composting operations.

Leading grant recipients ($100,000 or more) by county include:

• Bergen County: Paramus, $129,045;
• Camden County: Cherry Hill, $125,957;
• Cumberland County: Millville, $114,156; Vineland, $661,250;
• Essex County: East Orange, $110,047; Newark, $407,126;
• Gloucester County: Logan, $236,650; West Deptford, $144,363;
• Hudson County: Jersey City, $338,457; Kearny, $108,545; North Bergen, $103,601; Secaucus, $133,984; Union City, $107,944;
• Mercer County: Hamilton, $185,944; Robbinsville, $103,700;
• Middlesex County: Cranbury, $110,957; Edison, $264,699; Monroe, $130,576; Old Bridge, $287,769; Perth Amboy, $125,566; Piscataway, $120,051; South Brunswick, $203,617; South Plainfield, $143,926; Woodbridge, $287,342;
• Monmouth County: Eatontown, $128,340; Freehold Township, $121,491; Middletown, $115,529;
• Morris County: Parsippany-Troy Hills, $121,208;
• Ocean County: Brick, $116,647; Lakewood, $186,333; Toms River, $220,387;
• Passaic County: Clifton, $219,920; Passaic, $101,752; Paterson, $261,958; Wayne, $116,049; and
• Somerset County: Franklin, $119,274.

According to the state’s most recent data, in 2022, New Jersey generated more than 21.2 million total tons of solid waste, including municipal solid waste (MSW) and nonmunicipal solid waste, such as construction debris. Of this total, the state recycled just over 11.4 million tons for a 54 percent overall recycling rate—the same as in 2021.

Specifically, in 2022, the state recycled 3.6 million tons and disposed of 5.9 million tons of MSW, reaching a 38 percent MSW recycling rate, a 1 percent increase from 2021, while each resident on average disposed of 3.5 pounds and recycled 2.1 pounds of material each day.

“With these grants, local governments can implement a variety of education programs and recycling events that help divert waste from landfills and incinerators while helping the public demonstrate its commitment to protecting the environment,” LaTourette says.