The Brick Township Public Works and recycling facility at Ridge Road, Spring 2024. (Photo: Shorebeat)
Brick residents can give themselves a round of applause for being tops in the recycling game, according to state statistics released alongside an announcement of grant funding in which the township was one of the largest recipients statewide.
According to data released from the Department of Environmental Protection, for the most recent year data was available, Brick generated a total of 159,652 tons of waste, including 74,785 tons of household waste products and 44,256 tons of non-household waste such as construction debris and industrial waste. The statistics show residents recycled 8,520 tons of what would otherwise be municipal waste, represents 11 percent of the total. An additional 40,610 tons of more traditional items were recycled, giving the township an overall ranking of 25 percent of waste sent to the recycling bin rather than the county landfill.
The township’s good recycling practices not only saved taxpayers money on tipping fees at the landfill, but managed to score one of the largest tonnage grants in the state. Brick will receive a $116,647 grant this year from the DEP based on its 2022 performance analytics. The grant funding can be used for recycling initiatives, including enhancing recycling collection, making updates to recycling depots or convenience centers, sponsoring household hazardous waste collection events, providing recycling receptacles in public places, and maintaining leaf composting operations.
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The grants are awarded through the state’s Recycling Enhancement Act and are funded through a $3 per-ton surcharge on trash disposed statewide at solid waste facilities. The DEP returns that money to municipalities based upon the amount of recycling each community reports during the calendar year.
An automated recycling can from Brick Township, N.J. (Photo: Daniel Nee)
In 2022, New Jersey generated 21,279,372 total tons of solid waste, including municipal solid waste and non-municipal waste such as construction debris. Of this, the state recycled 11,427,849 tons of material for a 54 percent overall recycling rate, unchanged from the previous year. More specifically, the state recycled 3,629,707 tons and disposed of 5,920,952 tons of municipal solid waste to achieve a 38 percent municipal solid waste recycling rate, a one-percent increase from the previous year. To further illustrate the data, each resident on average disposed of 3.5 pounds and recycled 2.1 pounds of waste each day.
“Recycling remains as important as ever and allows us to conserve resources, reduce pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, and keep communities sustainable,” said DEP Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette, in a statement that accompanied the grant funding announcement. “With these grants, local governments can implement a variety of education programs and recycling events that help divert waste from landfills and incinerators while helping the public demonstrate its commitment to protecting the environment.”
