Chatham Boro Recycles The Most Of Any Morris County Town

CHATHAM, NJ — Chatham Borough has the highest rate of recycling in any Morris County town, according to data released by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

Nearly three quarters of the borough's waste was recycled, at a rate of 74.7 percent. In Morris County as a whole, that number was closer to half, or 51.2 percent. The total recycling rate, which includes bulky waste, was 66.2 percent. Morris County recycled 776,771 tons of trash and debris versus 396,642 tons of garbage.

Countywide, a 50 percent solid waste recycling goal and a 60 percent total recycling number goal was reached. It was the first time both goals were reached in the same year in nearly two decades.

These numbers are from 2015, the most recent year data was available.

"We are extremely pleased to have reached both of these goals in the same year for the first time since 1998," said Freeholder Christine Myers, the county governing board's liaison to the Morris County Municipal Utilities Authority, which handles much of the county's recycling. "Thanks to our county residents, businesses, schools and other organizations for doing their part to contribute to our countywide recycling effort, which makes our county greener and reduces the cost of trash disposal for many of our 39 municipalities."

Morris County has the third highest recycling rate of all New Jersey counties.

These are the top 10 towns in Morris County (according to DEP) for percentage of municipal or household waste recycled:

• Chatham Borough: 74.7 percent
• Victory Gardens: 69.4 percent
• Pequannock: 68.8 percent
• Riverdale: 67.4 percent
• Morris Township: 66.7 percent
• Chatham Township: 64.5 percent
• Mountain Lakes: 62.6 percent
• Netcong: 61.7 percent
• Randolph: 61.7 percent
• Mendham Borough: 60.8 percent

Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images