Morris County to Receive More Than $700K in Recycling Grants

Morris County municipalities will receive a total of $712,533.76 in grants from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to assist local recycling efforts, according to figures obtained from its website.

According to information provided by the DEP in a release, each individual grant is based on the recycling success local governments demonstrated in 2008.

Morris County municipalities are marked to receive the seventh largest sum of grant money of the 21 counties in the state. Bergen County's towns will receive the most at $1,676,647.08, while those in Salem County will receive the least at $101,766.65.

Kinnelon is expected to receive $12,061.08, while Butler is slated to receive $7,684.86.

According to Butler Borough Administrator James Lampmann, "That money is used for things like Clean Community projects."

Lampmann said that the money could be used to purchase new brushes for street sweepers, or help fund high school environmental club clean-up efforts.

Kinnelon Mayor Robert Collins said, "I am encouraged by the fact that we're getting some money back."

Collins thanked DPW Superintendent John Whitehead for his hard work with the recycling program, and said that the money will be used to purchase recycling containers and help fund borough-wide recycling programs.

Of all the Morris County municipalities, Parsippany-Troy Hills is slated to receive the most from the DEP at $75,891.75. Randolph is second at $43,948.67. The least amount will go to Victory Gardens ($1,033.51).

In Passaic County, Bloomingdale will be awarded the 14th highest amount of 16 municipalities, with $6,923.34. The highest amount awarded in Passaic County is in Clifton, with $207,094.64.

Bloomingdale Mayor Jonathan Dunleavy said, "I am extremely proud of the work of our DPW Superintendent Al Gallagher and our Administrator Ted Ehrenberg, as the grant is a direct result of their efforts running our recycling program. They coordinate many programs to educate the public on the importance of recycling."

Dunleavy said that the grant money will likely be used to maintain equipment, pay salaries of DPW employees who work during borough recycling events and to advertise and educate residents about the borough's recycling efforts.

The DEP’s release said the grant money is made available through the Recycling Enhancement Act. The grant program is funded by a $3 per ton surcharge on trash disposed at solid waste facilities. Municipal governments receive 60 percent of the money the fund generates. The balance is awarded to county solid-waste management and household hazardous-waste collection programs, county and state promotional efforts, and recycling research.

DEP Commissioner Bob Martin said the department is providing $13 million in grants to assist municipalities and counties throughout the state.

“These grants are an investment in our future,” Martin said in the release. “Local governments will use this money to continue to build even stronger recycling programs as we all work to continue improving our recycling efforts. Recycling is a priority for the DEP. It is important for the environment by conserving landfills and resources, and it generates tens of thousands of jobs in industries that collect, process and reuse recycled materials.”

The municipalities receiving the five highest grant awards this year, according to the DEP, are: Jersey City (Hudson) $267,674; Vineland (Cumberland) $255,954; Newark (Essex) $232,709; Clifton (Passaic) $207,094; and North Bergen (Hudson) $172,539.

According to the DEP, New Jersey recycled more than 13 million tons of the 22.1 million tons of solid waste generated in 2008 for an overall recycling rate of 59.1 percent. That rate was 57.3 percent in 2007. In Morris County, the percentage was 57.8 percent in 2008. Cumberland County’s 72.6 percent recycling rate was tops in 2008. Nine counties had a greater rate than Morris County in 2008.