Municipal and county governments are receiving more than $24 million in annual Clean Communities grants to fund litter removal programs that spruce up communities, improve water quality, reduce localized flooding and protect natural habitats, New Jersey Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette announced.
The grant awards were announced in conjunction with an open house event hosted by New Jersey Clean Communities Council at Kean University. This year’s funding represents a nearly $2.7 million increase from last year. In total, the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is awarding $21.4 million to eligible municipalities and $2.7 million to counties across the state to conduct cleanups, educate the public and enforce litter-related laws and ordinances. Funding for the grant program is generated from taxes paid by businesses that produce litter-generating products as well as penalties collected for litter-related violations.
The New Jersey Clean Communities Council, a nonprofit organization partnered with the DEP, oversees the reporting requirements for the program. Grant awards are based on population, housing units and miles of municipally owned roadways, as prescribed by state law.
The Clean Communities Council operates public awareness campaigns to educate the public, primarily youth, about the adverse environmental impacts of litter, especially on waterways. The organization also helped facilitate the transition away from single-use plastic and paper bags with its Litter Free NJ campaign, utilizing public service announcements to remind residents to use their own reusable bags when shopping, and to recycle plastic bags. These efforts have helped reduce the amount of plastic pollution in the state.
The Clean Communities grant program funds a variety of activities including volunteer cleanups of public spaces; cleanups of stormwater systems that can disperse trash into waterways; educational outreach campaigns; enforcement of local anti-littering ordinances; graffiti removal; and purchases of trash receptacles, recycling bins and anti-litter signs.
As published in June 2023 issue of American Recycler.