Official Site of The State of New Jersey

(24/P019) TRENTON – The Murphy Administration has awarded more than $27 million in annual Clean Communities grants to municipalities and counties across the state to fund litter removal programs that clean up neighborhoods, prevent trash from entering waterways and protect wildlife and their habitats, Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette announced today.

The grant awards were announced in conjunction with an open house event hosted by the New Jersey Clean Communities Council (NJCCC) at the Avenel Performing Arts Center. This year’s funding represents a more than $3 million increase from last year.
In total, the DEP is awarding $24.3 million to eligible municipalities and $3 million to counties across the state to conduct cleanups, educate the public and enforce litter-related laws and ordinances. The grant program is funded by taxes collected from businesses that produce litter-generating products and penalties paid for litter-related violations.

“The DEP and New Jersey Clean Communities Council remain steadfast in our commitment to reduce the impacts of litter on our communities,” said Commissioner LaTourette. “The programs funded by these grants beautify our communities, protect wildlife and the health of our waterways, and reduce localized flooding caused by the clogging of stormwater systems by trash.”

NJCCC, the 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.

“Local litter abatement programs are more important than ever as we strive to prevent roadway litter from getting into our waterways,” said JoAnn Gemenden, Executive Director of the New Jersey Clean Communities Council. “Clean Communities grants provide local governments with critical funds to help create a Litter Free NJ, allowing them to organize volunteer cleanups, purchase cleanup equipment and trash and recycling receptacles for public spaces, promote litter education initiatives, and enhance stormwater management programs.”

NJCCC runs public awareness campaigns to educate the public, primarily young people, about the harmful environmental impacts of litter, especially on waterways. The organization has supported the move away from single-use plastic and paper bags through its Litter Free NJ outreach campaign to remind residents to bring their own reusable bags when shopping. In addition, they encourage the public to donate excess reusable bags to local food pantries, food banks and social service agencies by providing is an easy-to-use tool to find convenient donation locations. These efforts have helped reduce the amount of plastic pollution in the state.

The NJCCC also administers the Adopt-a-Highway and Adopt-a-Beach programs. The statewide programs support groups, organizations, businesses or individuals who wish to be active stewards of public lands year-round.  

Litter comes from many sources, such as people who carelessly toss away their trash, overflowing and uncovered garbage cans, and construction sites. Litter is often dispersed by the wind and carried into stormwater collection systems where it can clog drains causing flooding and harming wildlife by degrading the quality of the state’s surface waters.

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.

Municipalities (organized by county) receiving the largest grants this year are:

• Atlantic County: Atlantic City, $110,080; Egg Harbor Township, $141,013; Galloway Township, $117,996; Hamilton Township, $101,946.
• Bergen County: Hackensack City, $101,481.
• Burlington County: Evesham Township, $129,847; Mount Laurel, $116,678.
• Camden County: Cherry Hill, $198,178; Gloucester Township, $164,582; Camden, $157,316; Winslow Township, $111,642.
• Cape May County: Lower Township, $103, 996; Ocean City, $119,916.
• Cumberland County: Vineland, $174,060.
• Essex County: Bloomfield Township, $111,770; Newark City, $578,042; East Orange, $145,225; Irvington, $118,429; West Orange, $103, 915.
• Gloucester County: Monroe Township, $101, 003; Washington Township, $123,065.
• Hudson County: Jersey City, $589,711; Bayonne, $142,566; Hoboken, $129,428; Union City, $118,531; North Bergen, $116,881.
• Mercer County: Hamilton, $248,023; Trenton, $184,910.
• Middlesex County: Edison, $235,427; Woodbridge, $230,710; Old Bridge, $158,318; Monroe Township, $134,073; Piscataway, $131,656; East Brunswick, $128,292; South Brunswick, $114,482; Sayreville, $103,968.
• Monmouth County: Freehold Township, $104,713; Middletown, $200,431; Howell, $157,361; Marlboro Township, $121,537; Manalapan, $111,402.
• Morris County: Parsippany-Troy Hills, $145,146.
• Ocean County: Toms River, $289,776; Brick, $216,967; Lakewood, $185,803; Berkeley, $169,996; Jackson, $151,965; Manchester, $143,022; Stafford Township, $103,700.
• Passaic County: Paterson, $263,181; Clifton, $180,297; Wayne, $137,282; Passaic City, $104,252.
• Somerset County: Franklin, $180,255; Bridgewater, $127,935; Hillsborough Township, $126,198.
• Union County: Elizabeth, $235,289; Union Township, $124,459.

Counties receiving the largest grants are:

• Atlantic, $166,581;
• Bergen, $198,054;
• Burlington, $226,469;
• Camden, $177,710;
• Cumberland, $241,806;
• Gloucester, $185,509;
• Hunterdon, $109,091;
• Middlesex, $141,093;
• Monmouth, $169,961;
• Morris, $128,041;
• Ocean, $275,876;
• Passaic, $110,393;
• Salem, $161,035;
• Somerset, $111,475.
• Sussex, $140,514;
• Warren, $117,252.