The Murphy Administration has awarded $16 million in grants to municipalities across the state to enhance waste reduction and recycling efforts. “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,” Acting Commissioner LaTourette said in a statement provided by Department of Environmental Protection Acting Commissioner Shawn LaTourette. “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.”
The awards, which are based on local governments’ 2018 recycling performance, represent a $1.8 million increase from the prior year. The grants are awarded through the state’s Recycling Enhancement Act and are funded through a $3 per-ton surcharge on trash disposed at solid waste facilities statewide. The DEP then allocates that money back to municipalities based on how much recycling each community reports accomplishing during a particular calendar year, according to the statement.
For calendar year 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, according to the statement. This represents a total solid waste recycling rate of 58%. Solid waste includes municipal waste plus construction debris and other types of non-municipal waste. Florence Township received $105,695.