South Brunswick will soon be reaping the benefits of recycling. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection recently announced it would be providing municipalities and counties with $13 million in grants aimed at aiding recycling efforts.
“These grants are an investment in our future,” DEP Commissioner Bob Martin said. “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.” Sixty percent of the money will go to municipalities, while the remainder will be doled out to county solid waste management and household hazardous waste collection programs, county and state promotional efforts, and recycling research.
South Brunswick — one of the top 10 recycling municipalities in the state — will receive $149,198.
“I’m really proud of the number,” said Nancy Paquette, South Brunswick’s recycling coordinator. “I’m also very proud of the work our residents and businesses have done in recycling.”
South Brunswick, Paquette said, will be using the grant money to help in funding the curbside collection program as well as help with advertising and printing costs. A portion of the grant will also go toward salaries for recycling department employees.
The grants are made available through the Recycling Enhancement Act, which is funded by a $3-per-ton surcharge on trash brought to solid waste facilities.
The grants are awarded for 2008 statistics because of the time it takes to compile all of the information. Larry Hajna, press officer for the DEP, said that municipalities know this and expect it. The work of compiling and then cross-referencing statistics for the entire state is a time-consuming process.
In 2008, the state as a whole recycled 59.1 percent of the solid waste generated, more than 13 million of the 22.1 total tons generated. This is an improvement on the 57.3 percent seen in 2007. The figure includes all types of solid waste recycled, such as municipal solid waste and bulky waste like construction materials or scrap wood.
The municipalities, in total, generated a little over 10 million tons of solid waste in 2008, 37.9 percent — or 3.8 million tons — of which was recycled. The rate in 2007 was 36.5 percent. The 2008 rate is the highest the state has seen since 2003, when the figure fell to 32.7 percent. Municipal programs recycle paper, cardboard, glass, plastic and metal cans.
New Jersey officials praised the state’s efforts.
“New Jersey’s recycling rates continue to trend upward,” said Guy Watson, chief of the DEP’s Bureau of Recycling and Planning. “We are seeing steady and encouraging increases in rates for a number of reasons, including expanded public outreach efforts, expansion of the types of materials municipalities are collecting, and more convenient recycling options such as single-stream programs that enable residents to put all of their recyclables out for collection in one container.”
In 1987, the passage of the Statewide Mandatory Separation and Recycling Act made New Jersey the first state that required recycling. Shortly thereafter, a 50 percent recycling target was set. The goal was to reach 50 percent by 1995.
While this goal was not met, the state did come close: in 1995, almost 45 percent of solid waste was recycled. DEP officials stated that the rates dropped in the following year due to “the expiration of a solidwaste tonnage charge that funded local recycling efforts,” among other reasons.
The DEP has been actively attempting to reverse this trend in the past few years, mainly through the Recycling Enhancement Act but also through a variety of other programs aimed at highlighting the importance of recycling.
Contact Sam Slaughter at [email protected].