def #214 10/14/09
COUNTY MINIGRANTS HELP MUNICIPAL RECYCLING
TOMS RIVER – From expanding existing municipal recycling centers to upgrading drainage and lighting at others,
Ocean County will award over $150,000 in recycling minigrants to help with the upgrades.
“Making recycling convenient helps encourage the practice by our residents,” said Freeholder James F. Lacey, who serves
as liaison to the county’s award-winning recycling program. “These minigrants help with funding from the county so that
municipal recycling centers can be state of the art and residents will want to use them.”
Ocean County created the recycling minigrant program in 2001 to assist municipalities in their efforts to maintain and
upgrade local recycling centers. To date, the county has distributed $1.2 million to those municipalities participating
in the county’s recycling program.
Lacey noted that the county received 11 proposals with requests totaling $151,844.
“We will fund all 11 proposals based on the recommendation of the subcommittee of the Ocean County Solid Waste Advisory
Council,” Lacey said.
The municipality must provide a 50 percent match to the county grant.
Funding for the grant program comes from the State Recycling Enhancement Grant Fund, the State Bonus Entitlement Grant
and also from the Ocean County Recycling Revenue Sharing account.
“Whether it be education or capital purchases, these grants enhance not only the municipalities’ recycling program but
ultimately the county’s,” Lacey said. “We continue to make every effort to encourage our residents to recycle.
“We know that for some of our residents this is second nature,” Lacey said. “But we are also aware others continue to be
reluctant and we want to get them on board.”
Lacey noted that as the county’s recycling program continues to expand and undergo some changes, the municipalities are
already gearing up to educate residents.
“In the future we will go to single-stream recycling which simply means all recyclables will go into one bin, from
newspapers to cans,” Lacey said. “Three towns, including Toms River, Lakewood and Plumsted, will be using a portion of
their grants for educational materials.
“Getting the word out to residents is an important step to this process,” Lacey said. “A key reason why the county got
into recycling was to help municipalities save on tipping fees and to preserve landfill space. Recycling comes with
financial benefits and significant environmental advantages,”
“Ocean County towns saved almost $2 million in tipping fees by recycling 27,205 tons of material during the first half of
2009.
“Since we began operating our materials processing facility in Lakewood in 1991, we processed 1,324,140 tons of materials
resulting in a total savings of $95,549,942 by avoiding the tipping fee at the landfill,” Lacey said. “That is a
significant saving.”
The following towns will be receiving minigrants to help fund the following projects:
Lacey Township, $35,000, repaving and drainage improvement at the recycling center.
Toms River, $28,205, replacing entrance and exit gates, install fencing and education.
Lakewood, $10,043, repair and paint six roll offs and purchase two 20 cubic yard roll off containers and education.
Plumsted Township, $4,850, replace steps to roll off containers, provide a new shed at the recycling center, driveway
improvements at the composting site and production of a recycling booklet.
Beachwood, $2,607, construction of a storage shed.
Island Heights, $5,900, purchase a 40 cubic yard container and several recycling containers.
Seaside Heights, $9,600, purchase of a cardboard compactor.
Beach Haven, $8,500, install concrete pads.
Bay Head, $7,000, recycling center drainage and road improvements.
Brick Township, $24,864, replace eight roll off containers, repair fence and retaining wall.
Little Egg Harbor Township, $15,275, expand existing center to add additional roll off containers, add a shed for
special recycling waste including batteries, paints and computers.
