11 area towns to receive combined $85,000 through Ocean County Recycling Revenue Sharing Program

Local municipalities that participated in this year’s Ocean County Recycling Revenue Sharing Program will receive a combined $84,887 of the more than $441,000 generated during the first six months of 2014. Barnegat Township will receive $13,573; Barnegat Light will get $1,134; Beach Haven is expected to see $2,956; Eagleswood Township will receive $1,397, and Harvey Cedars, $909. Little Egg Harbor Township will receive $16,216; Long Beach Township will get $5,846; Ship Bottom is expecting to see $2,533; Stafford Township will receive $34,609; Surf City will get $2,157; and Tuckerton will receive $3,557.

Photo via Google
The materials are dumped at a covered holding site.

“Recycling continues to pay a dividend in Ocean County,” Freeholder James F. Lacey, who serves as liaison to the county’s recycling program, said in a press release. “We have been able to return money to our municipalities every year, twice a year, since implementing the recycling revenue sharing program. This is a great incentive that results in economic benefits and environmental benefits,” he added.

Through the program, municipalities are provided a portion of the recycling revenues based on the amount recycled. So far this year, nearly 37,000 tons of old newspapers, tin cans, aluminum and plastics were recycled by 33 municipalities. The payout per ton for this period was $11.97.

The amount returned to the towns is based on the amount of recyclables collected and brought to the county and the price per commodity in the current market. The prices of commodities such as corrugated cardboard and newspapers have had minor decreases while the prices of other commodities have risen, Lacey said. Other materials such as aluminum continue to have a high demand, selling for $1,336 a ton, which is a $250 per ton increase from 2013.

“I want to commend Freeholder Jim Lacey and all of our municipalities for promoting recycling in Ocean County,” said Freeholder Director Joseph H. Vicari. “Our residents have embraced recycling. We encourage our citizens to continue this effort, which truly improves our quality of life here in the county.”

Because of these recycling efforts, municipalities collectively saved more than $2.6 million by not dumping those materials in the landfill, where they would have to pay a tipping fee.

Since 1995, the county has distributed nearly $15 million to participating municipalities. Although towns can use the money as needed, many invest it back into the recycling program, Lacey said.

“If a road needs to be fixed or a park needs to be upgraded, this money can help with those projects. This is a return on their recycling effort,” he added.

— Kelley Anne Essinger

This article was published in The SandPaper.