Cherry Hill has been awarded a $164,279 recycling tonnage grant from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, making the township one of the top 10 recycling communities in the state.
The award is the largest given to any municipality in the Camden, Burlington, and Gloucester tri-county area. The grant total was based on the amount of recycled material collected in the township in 2012.
“This is wonderful news, not just for the township, but for our entire community, as it reflects the efforts of both Cherry Hill residents and commercial entities,” Mayor Chuck Cahn said. “We save taxpayer dollars for every ton of material that we keep out of our landfills. Being able to turn those recycled goods into revenue for Cherry Hill is a win for the township, our residents, and, of course, our environment.”
The grant program is awarded through the state’s Recycling Enhancement Act and funding comes from a $3-per-ton tax on trash taken to disposal facilities.
The program aims to encourage towns to recycle more, with the goal of achieving a 50 percent overall recycling rate in each town. Cherry Hill’s rate in 2012 was 65 percent, significantly higher than the state average of 44 percent.
The overall recycling rate includes single-stream curbside recycling, leaves and other yard waste, recycled wood, electronic waste, oil and tires deposited at the Department of Public Works, appliances and other “white goods,” and commercial recycling as reported by area waste haulers.
“On the heels of Cherry Hill’s award as a Sustainability Champion in November, this news reaffirms that all of our community’s stakeholders are committed to building a greener, cleaner future,” Cahn said. “My hope is that we will use this momentum to recommit ourselves to the cause, and challenge ourselves to increase our totals even more as we move forward.”
Cahn credited the township’s Public Works complex and recycling center with encouraging recycling by making it more accessible to residents.
The facility is open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, and accepts a number of items that cannot be recycled via curbside collection, including electronic waste, CFL bulbs and fluorescent lamps, motor oil, rechargeable batteries, old cell phones, and plastic bags.
Residents with questions about the township’s recycling efforts can contact the Department of Public Works for more information at (856) 424–4422, or visit the municipal website at www.CherryHill-NJ.com.
