SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ — The township will receive $105,667 in state Clean Communities grant funding to support local litter removal and environmental cleanup programs, the Sherrill Administration announced Wednesday.
The award is part of $25.2 million in annual Clean Communities grants distributed statewide to municipalities and counties for litter abatement initiatives. South Brunswick was among the larger recipients in Middlesex County, which saw several towns receive six-figure awards. Edison led the county with $217,300, followed by Woodbridge at $212,949, Old Bridge at $146,114, Monroe Township at $123,753, Piscataway at $121,525 and East Brunswick at $118,417. Middlesex County itself received a separate award of $130,291.
South Brunswick can use the funding for a range of cleanup and prevention efforts, including public education about the environmental harms of littering, volunteer litter cleanups, litter removal equipment, clearing trash and debris from stormwater drains, graffiti removal and enforcement of local litter laws.
The grants are funded entirely by taxes collected from businesses that produce litter-generating products and by penalties paid for litter-related violations — meaning no general taxpayer dollars are used to finance the program. Award amounts are set by state law and calculated based on each municipality's population, housing units and miles of municipally owned roadways.
Acting DEP Commissioner Ed Potosnak said the program is designed to take the financial burden off local governments.
"Nobody likes to see trash-filled roads, rivers, or parks," Potosnak said. "By partnering with the Clean Communities Council to provide this critical funding, the DEP is ensuring that municipalities and counties can keep their communities healthy and clean without bearing the costs of these initiatives alone."
The program is administered by the New Jersey Clean Communities Council, which oversees litter abatement reporting requirements for all 558 municipalities and 21 counties across the state. The Council was established under the state's Clean Communities Act of 1986.
In addition to the grant program, the Council administers the Adopt-a-Highway and Adopt-a-Beach volunteer programs, which allow groups, businesses and individuals to organize cleanups at specific public locations. This year, the Council is also partnering with Keep America Beautiful to encourage New Jersey mayors to sign pledges joining the organization's Greatest American Cleanup, timed to coincide with America's 250th anniversary.
A full list of municipal grant awards is available at njclean.org/coordinators/grant-funding.
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