Recycling Efforts Put $142K In Toms River's Bank

TOMS RIVER, NJ — Recycling efforts by Toms River residents have earned the town $142,555, the Ocean County Board of Commissioners announced.

The county received $1,933,664 for the first six months of 2022, with recyclable materials selling for an average price of $29.47 per ton.

That revenue is being split with the 33 towns that partner with the county on the recycling program, and the $966,832 share going to municipalities is the largest recycling revenue-sharing Ocean County has had since the program started in 1995.

It's the first time the county has shared recycling revenue since 2018, when the market for recyclables virtually collapsed after China announced it would no longer purchase many materials from United States suppliers, officials said.

Over the last four years, the county bore the cost of recycling without passing the fees onto the municipalities, said John P. Kelly, the director of the Board of Commissioners.

More than 32,803 tons of material was recycled county wide from January to June of this year, said Commissioner Barbara “Bobbi” Jo Crea, the liaison to the county's department of solid waste management. Toms River residents recycled 4,836 tons of cans, bottles, cardboard and more from January through June, the county said.

Nearly $18 million has been shared with Ocean County’s towns since 1995 through the recycling program.

The county upgraded its recycling equipment while the market was unfavorable, and that has paid off in the increased revenue now, Crea said.

The recycling also reduces the county's tipping fees at the Ocean County Landfill, Commissioner Deputy Director Virginia E. "Ginny" Haines.

"Every ounce of material that is recycled stays out of our landfill," Haines said. "Not only are we protecting the environment, but we are making money instead of spending money on landfill fees."