Ocean County Gets Nearly $850K in NJ Recycling Grants

Ocean County's 33 communities will divide more than $848,000 in grants from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to enhance their recycling efforts.

Toms River snaps up $177,138 of the total, which is part of about $13,100,000 being distributed statewide.

The program is funded through a $3.00 per ton surcharge on municipal trash sent to solid waste facilities. According to a DEP statement, the revenues were divided according to performance in 2010. New Jersey, say DEP officials, reached a 40 percent recycling rate of municipal solid waste for the first time since 1998.

Officials say that about 60 percent of the revenue generated by the fund goes to communities for outreach and compliance. The rest is given to county-level solid waste management, household hazardous waste collection programs, research and promotional efforts.

How did your community fare? See the full list of grants at  http://www.nj.gov/dep/dshw/recycling/stat_links/2010%20payout.pdf.