South Brunswick Gets Over $100K To Remove Litter From The Community

SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ —The township recently received a grant from the state to fund litter removal in the community.

South Brunswick received $100,793 in the annual Clean Communities grant from the NJ Department of Environmental Protection.

More than $24 million was given to municipal and county governments across the state to spruce up communities, improve water quality, reduce localized flooding and protect natural habitats.

The DEP is awarding $21.4 million to eligible municipalities and $2.7 million to counties to conduct cleanups, educate the public and enforce litter-related laws and ordinances.

Funding for the program comes from taxes paid by businesses that produce litter-generating products as well as penalties collected for litter-related violations.

“The New Jersey Clean Communities grant program has long been an important resource for local governments across New Jersey, helping them fund programs that remove litter that is unsightly, harms wildlife, degrades water quality and worsens flooding by getting into stormwater-management systems,” NJDEP Commissioner Shawn LaTourette.

“The programs also help remove countless quantities of plastic materials which do not biodegrade and create many serious problems for people, ecosystems and wildlife. We are proud to continue to support these efforts that make New Jersey a cleaner and greener place to live.”

The New Jersey Clean Communities Council is a nonprofit organization that partnered with the DEP, to oversee the reporting requirements for the program.

Grant awards are based on population, housing units and miles of municipally owned roadways.

Litter comes from various sources, such as people who carelessly toss away trash, overflowing and uncovered garbage cans, and construction sites. It is often dispersed by the wind and carried into stormwater collection systems, where it can clog drains causing flooding, harming wildlife and degrading the quality of the state’s surface waters.

Seven Middlesex County municipalities, including South Brunswick, received the grant this year.

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