This year marks the return of the recycling revenue program. The Ocean County Board of Commissioners recently announced the largest revenue-sharing grants since the system was established in 1995. “We are very pleased to announce that for the first half of 2022 we are returning more than $966,832 to municipalities that partner with the county’s recycling effort,” said Commissioner Barbara “Bobbi” Jo Crea, liaison to Recycling and the Department of Solid Waste Management.
“Now that we have turned the corner we are once again pleased to share the revenue with our towns, which are essential to the success of our recycling efforts,” noted John P. Kelly, director of the Board of Commissioners. As Angela Andersen, sustainability coordinator for Long Beach Township, remarked, “This is the first revenue share since the county upgraded the equipment at the sorting facility in Lakewood. A good investment in infrastructure is trickling down to the communities; no matter how small, it’s the start of a good turnaround.”
Kelly said after the recyclables market tumbled in 2018, the county invested more than $7.5 million into its recycling program.“We upgraded our materials processing facility in Lakewood to be able to compete in this new, more difficult market,” he explained. “Our investment has paid off for the taxpayers of Ocean County.”