TOMS RIVER – Toms River Township received a $174,085 grant from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to help implement and further enhance recycling efforts. The grants are based on 2014 recycling performance and awarded through the state’s Recycling Enhancement Act.
In all, the state Department of Environmental Protection awarded $14.3 million in state grants this year. Toms River’s municipal grant is the highest in Ocean County.
Mayor Thomas F. Kelaher stated, “Our recycling program continues to be a win-win. Not only do we receive grant money from the state, but the Township also saves money in transportation and tipping fees avoiding the need to send trash to the Ocean County landfill.”
The recycling grant program is funded by a $3 per-ton surcharge on trash disposed at solid waste facilities across the state. The grant program rewards local governments and enhances recycling efforts through initiatives such as running tire collection days, providing recycling receptacles and maintaining leaf composting operations. Each award is based on materials collected and recycled, and can be used in various ways to improve recycling results.
In 2014, New Jersey generated 9.6 million tons of municipal solid waste (MSW). DEP documented the recycling of 3.9 million tons of MSW and the disposal of 5.6 million tons of MSW, for an MSW recycling rate of 41 percent.
