def #156 08/11/10
RECYCLING CONTINUES TO PAY DIVIDENDS IN OCEAN COUNTY
TOMS RIVER - The payout for recycling materials in Ocean County is on the upswing resulting in participating municipalities sharing in revenues
totaling $479,682.
"The Ocean County Recycling Revenue Sharing Program will pay $15.68 per ton recycled by our municipalities for the first half of this year,"
said Freeholder Director James F. Lacey, who serves as liaison to the county's recycling program. "This means my colleagues and I on the Board of
Freeholders will be distributing checks ranging from about $1,000 to almost $100,000 to the municipalities that participate in the county's recycling
program.
"This revenue sharing program should serve as a strong incentive for our residents and our municipalities to recycle materials instead of simply
throwing them out in the trash," Lacey said. "The higher the amount recycled the greater the economic benefit to the municipality and Ocean County."
Earlier this year, the Board of Freeholders distributed more than $357,000 to the participating municipalities as part of the revenue sharing
program. That amount, about $11 a ton, was almost three times the total the county distributed in the fall of 2009.
"Right now pricing for newsprint and corrugated is strong," Lacey said. "And, the pricing for plastic especially colored HDPE and PET soda bottles
has increased substantially since the beginning of the year.
"It's a good sign for the economy when the demand for raw materials like this increases," Lacey said. "That trend also results in boosting our
recycling revenue."
Since the revenue sharing program began in 1995 by the Ocean County Board of Chosen Freeholders, about $16.5 million has been returned to
municipalities for their participation in the county's recycling program.
Lacey said towns can fund whatever projects they deem appropriate with the money although many return it to the recycling program to expand it or
make improvements.
"A town can fund improvements to a park, a road, or buy new roll off containers for its recycling program," Lacey said.
Lacey said the greater benefit from recycling is the money saved by not sending the material to the landfill. By recycling 30,591 tons of material
during the first six months of this year, towns saved $2.2 million by avoiding the landfill tipping fee.
"Since we began operating our materials processing facility in Lakewood in 1991, we have processed 1,324,140 tons of materials resulting in a total
savings of $95,549,942 by avoiding the tipping fee at the landfill," Lacey said. "The most important reasons why the county got into recycling were
to help municipalities save on tipping fees and to preserve landfill space. This program combines financial benefits with significant environmental
advantages."
The following is the list of municipalities and the amounts they will receive: Barnegat Township, $17,407; Barnegat Light, $1,289; Bay Head, $1,631;
Beach Haven, $3,679; Beachwood, $8,148; Berkeley Township, $30,596; Brick Township, $55,534;
Eagleswood Township, $1,699; Harvey Cedars, $868; Island Heights, $1,746; Lacey Township, $29,073; Lakehurst, $2,215; Lakewood, $79,580; Lavallette,
$3,465.
And, Little Egg Harbor Township, $16,780; Long Beach Township, $9,114; Manchester Township, $25,272; Mantoloking, $584; Ocean Gate, $1,353; Ocean
Township (Waretown) $7,197; Pine Beach, $2,191; Plumsted Township, $3,090; Point Pleasant Beach, $6,795; Point Pleasant, $18,950; Seaside Heights,
$5,397; Seaside Park, $4,083; Ship Bottom, $2,823; South Toms River, $1,764, Stafford Township, $37,621; Surf City, $2,963, Toms River Township,
$92,422 and Tuckerton, $4,337.
