Area towns will rev up their recycling efforts thanks to funds granted through the Department of Environmental Protection’s Recycling Bonus Grant. Rutherford, North Arlington, Secaucus and Jersey City applied for the grants last year and are now making good use of the funds.
Overall, 38 municipalities in New Jersey received $400,000 through the Recycling “Bonus” Grant Program. In order to receive the funds, the projects must focus on food waste recycling, scrap tire removal and recycling in public spaces.
“This is a one-time program that resulted from some additional revenues that were generated by the disposal of waste from Hurricane Sandy,” said DEP press officer Larry Hajna.
Municipalities qualified for the program if the amount they requested was deemed a reasonable amount for the projects proposed and the town was able to provide matching funds, Hajna said. The applicant had to match the grant dollar for dollar.
Hajna said there were 27 grants for recycling in public spaces, eight for tire removal,and three for managing food waste.
Rutherford received $24,924 and will use the funds to expand its recycling program to parks with the installation of garbage and recycling bins, said Superintendent of the Department of Public Works (DPW) Chris Seidler. The town received a grant in 2014 to place recycling bins along Park Avenue and in Lincoln Park.
Seidler said approximately 79 garbage and recycling bins were ordered and will be placed in Memorial Park, Tamblyn Field, Wall Field, Van Winkle Park and Sunset Park.
The bins will be placed in the parks before the spring, said Seidler.
North Arlington received a $525 grant, which was used to purchase recycling containers for town facilities, said North Arlington administrator Stephen Lo Iacono.
“Recycling was not done in certain buildings, such as the borough hall and the recreation facilities,” said Lo Iacono.
Educational material will be placed on the recycling containers as well, Lo Iacono said.
Secaucus received $23,751 from the program, which will be utilized for a high-tech food waste recycling program at the high school, said Secaucus’ environmental director Amanda J. Nesheiwat.
The town purchased an A500 rocket composter from Tidy Planet Company, which will be used at the high school.
The composter processes up to 660 pounds of food every week.
The process is automated by thermostatic controls, which means it doesn’t need manual turning.The composter processes uncooked or cooked meats and fish, uncooked or cooked vegetables and fruits, garden waste and animal waste.
“We wanted to remove food waste from the [waste] stream,” said Nesheiwat.
To read the full story, visit http://www.northjersey.com/story/news/bergen/2017/01/27/towns-put-recycling-bonus-grant-good-use/96995798/.