The state will聽soon give聽$14.3 million in recycling grants to local聽municipalities based on past performance, but some environmentalists question the practice, saying a good sustainability solution needs more than money. Recycling programs at the municipal level in聽Essex, Passaic and Bergen counties will get the most grant money. Newark, Vineland and Jersey City, as in past years, ranked at the top of the 550 state municipalities to receive funds. Newark will receive $552,249, Vineland $306,675 and Jersey City $298,152. Amounts are based on how much each municipality recycled in 2014.
In Passaic County, Paterson ($227,130) and Clifton ($180,157) were among New Jersey鈥檚 top seven recycling communities. Paramus, 10th overall, and Fair Lawn headed Bergen County鈥檚 municipalities聽with $143,280 and $108,999 respectively.
The annual tonnage funds are distributed to municipal and county authorities each year based on the total weight of materials collected and recycled. The grant聽program is funded with a $3 per-ton surcharge on trash disposed at solid waste facilities across the state, officials said.
The聽yearly recycling grant totals hovered between $3 and $4 million in the early 2000s. But, that figure jumped to $8 million in 2006 and skyrocketed to $14.5 million in 2007聽when the tax doubled from the $1.50 per ton after the sunset of the Solid Waste Services Tax. Former Gov. Jon Corzine signed聽the Recycling Enhancement Act into law the following year.
Since that time, the state dispersed an average of $13.75 million each year for the last eight years. According to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, the funding can be used to enhance programs or initiatives such as tire collection days, leaf composting operations or advertising campaigns promoting recycling.
Several recycling coordinators said the funding from the state is typically used to maintain municipal recycling collection infrastructures and salaries. Paterson officials said it has not been determined how聽the city will spend spend its聽$227,130, which is $7,500 more than聽last year.
In the past, officials said, Paterson used the grant in various ways related to recycling, including聽salaries of recycling inspectors, buying trucks and other equipment used to make recycling pickups, funding educational programs and printing brochures.
Guy Picone, director of public works in Paramus, said the grant would go 鈥渟trictly鈥� toward聽improving the borough鈥檚 recycling efforts and reducing solid waste. Picone said the Bergen borough offers innovative recycling methods such as providing recycled firewood harvested from trees the DPW cuts down. Additionally, a grinder that produces wood chips and malt can be used by residents. A Paramus garbage pick-up, which operates automatically, is expected to expand to recycling duties by the summer, he added.
However, some town coordinators said the money would better serve the state鈥檚 recycling and sustainability efforts if it was allocated toward聽long-term initiatives. Others also took exception to the way in which the grant system operates. 鈥淭he City of Clifton is grateful for the money that we received. However, it is my understanding that the state gives聽exceptions to communities that dump at incinerators,鈥� said Al DuBois, an environmentalist and Clifton Recycling Coordinator since 1986. 鈥淭hereby, those communities are taking money聽from the communities that contribute. That鈥檚 an injustice going on 30 years and that should be righted.鈥�
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