NEWARK, NJ - The state Department of Environmental Protection awarded a grant to Newark worth more than $230,000 that will help improve recycling rates throughout the city.

The $232,000 is part of a $14.3 million statewide grant awarded through the state Recycling Enhancement Act, which the DEP funds through a $3 per ton surcharge on trash disposed at solid waste facilities. That money is allocated back to municipalities based on how much recycling each community reports throughout the year.

"Each of us can have a significant impact on the environment simply by recycling every day," DEP Commissioner Catherine McCabe said in a statement. "Recycling helps keep our communities clean, generates revenue and jobs, and lessens the amount of trash going to landfills. These grants will help communities continue the important work of promoting the benefits of recycling and having a positive impact on New Jersey's quality of life."

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The city must use the grant to either fund a recycling coordinator position, sponsor a household hazardous waste collection event, or provide recycling receptacles and pickup in public places. Funds may also be used for leaf composting operations, education outreach or curbside recycling pickup programs.

Grants were awarded based on 2016 data and the types of materials collected and recycled in a municipality or county.

Newark recycled about 395,000 tons of items ranging from newspapers to tires in 2015, the latest year data is available for individual municipalities. The city's payout for 2015 was about $361,000, which is $129,000 more than 2016's award that was granted most recently.

New Jerseyans recycled 44 percent -- or 4.26 million tons -- of 9.7 millions tons of municipal solid waste in 2016, according to the state DEP. New Jersey’s recycling rate in 2016 of 44 percent exceeds the national average of 34 percent.

Still, a 44 percent recycling rate is below the state’s overall goal of 50 percent, according to the state DEP.





The 44 percent does not include construction debris and other types of non-municipal waste though. When including all forms of waste, the overall number of solid waste generated in New Jersey in 2016 stands at 22.6 million, according to the state DEP. Of that total, 13.9 million tons were recycled for an overall rate of 61 percent, which is slightly lower than 2015’s rate of 63 percent.

"New Jersey remains a national leader in recycling more than 30 years after becoming the first state in the nation to mandate recycling on a state-wide basis," said Assistant Commissioner for Site Remediation and Waste Management Mark Pedersen in a statement.

All 22 municipalities in Essex County received a payout from the $14.3 million grant. Newark was the only municipality in the county to receive more than $100,000.

The award for each municipality is listed online. Below are other municipalities in the state that received more than $100,000 for 2016.

Bergen County: Paramus, $130,864; South Hackensack, $197,287

Camden County: Cherry Hill, $103,329

Cumberland County: Vineland, $282,504

Essex County: East Orange, $106,334; Newark, $232,153

Gloucester County: Logan, $109,177

Hudson County: Jersey City, $423,248; Secaucus, $156,353

Mercer County: Hamilton, $150,719

Middlesex County: Edison, $269,329; Monroe, $181,542; South Brunswick, $190,633; Woodbridge, $147,187

Monmouth County: Marlboro, $119,531

Morris County: Parsippany-Troy Hills, $161,838

Ocean County: Brick, $153,319; Lakewood, $140,559; Toms River, $183,933

Passaic County: Clifton, $127,487; Passaic City, $109,211; Paterson, $236,050; Wayne, $111,287

Somerset County: Bridgewater, $116,802

The Burlington County Occupational Training Center received $185,637, and the Atlantic County Utilities Authority received $144,928 for their recycling efforts.

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