The Murphy Administration is awarding nearly $16.2 million in grants to communities across the state to support waste reduction and recycling programs.
The annual grant awards are based on 2021 recycling performance, the most recent year for which data is available. Municipalities must use their funds for various recycling initiatives which can include sponsoring household hazardous waste collection events, providing recycling receptacles in public places or maintaining leaf composting operations.
The grants are awarded through the state’s Recycling Enhancement Act and funded through a $3 per-ton surcharge on trash disposed statewide at solid waste facilities. The DEP returns that money to municipalities based upon how much recycling each community reports accomplishing during the calendar year.
Local municipalities receiving grants of more than $100,000 for their 2021 recycling efforts:
- Lakewood: Lakewood, $191,460
- Toms River, $169,560