By: Follow South Jersey Staff
SOUTH JERSEY — Five municipalities in three South Jersey counties received part of $16.2 million in grants awarded statewide to help enhance waste reduction and recycling programs, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) announced recently.
According to a press release from the NJDEP, the annual awards are based on 2022 recycling performance, the most recent year for which data is available. Municipalities must use the funds for various recycling initiatives, including enhancing recycling collection, making updates to recycling depots or convenience centers, sponsoring household hazardous waste collection events, providing recycling receptacles in public places, and maintaining leaf composting operations.
“Recycling remains as important as ever and allows us to conserve resources, reduce pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, and keep communities sustainable,” NJDEP Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette said in the press release. “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.”
The state’s Recycling Enhancement Act award the grants, and they are funded through a $3 per-ton surcharge on trash disposed statewide at solid waste facilities. The DEP returns that money to municipalities based upon the amount of recycling each community reports during the calendar year.
Funds received in South Jersey are in Camden County: Cherry Hill, $125,957; Cumberland County: Millville, $114,156; Vineland, $661,250; and Gloucester County: Logan, $236,650; West Deptford, $144,363.
According to the NJDEP, in 2022, New Jersey generated 21,279,372 total tons of solid waste, including municipal solid waste and non-municipal waste such as construction debris. Of this, the state recycled 11,427,849 tons of material for a 54 percent overall recycling rate, unchanged from the previous year. More specifically, the state recycled 3,629,707 tons and disposed of 5,920,952 tons of municipal solid waste to achieve a 38 percent municipal solid waste recycling rate, a one-percent increase from the previous year. To further illustrate the data, each resident on average disposed of 3.5 pounds and recycled 2.1 pounds of waste each day.
For a complete list of grants by municipality, visit nj.gov/dep/dshw/recycling/stats.htm.
To learn more about recycling in New Jersey, visit https://www.nj.gov/dep/dshw/recycling/.
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