Message from Councilwoman Elizabeth Stamler | May 24, 2024
This year, once again, Scotch Plains is seeing an increase in the amount of Clean Communities funding it is receiving from the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) for our local litter-fighting initiatives.
On Wednesday, the DEP held a joint event with the New Jersey Clean Communities Council (NJCCC) at the Avenel Performing Arts Center to announce a total of $27.3 million in grants that will be going to municipalities and counties in the upcoming year to support local programs. It was a terrific event, as mayors around New Jersey received large ceremonial checks to mark another successful year of the program.
It was announced that Scotch Plains will be receiving $60,757 in grants this year, a nice bump from 2023, when our town received $53,491 and, in 2022, when Scotch Plains received $47,691. Here’s the magic: these funds do not come from residential taxpayers. Rather, the program is funded by a legislated user-fee on manufacturers, wholesalers and distributors that produce litter-generating products.
We see litter in Scotch Plains coming from many sources, such as people (let’s assume from out of town) who carelessly toss away trash, uncovered garbage cans, and contractor’s Dumpsters. Litter is easily dispersed in the wind and can carry into our stormwater collection systems, where it can clog drains causing flooding, harm wildlife and degrade the quality of surface waters.
That is why NJCCC funds are so important to Scotch Plains. Funds can be used, for example, to support a Green Team to pick up litter, purchase bags, gloves and grabbers for litter clean-ups, buy and distribute reusable bags, purchase water-filling stations and pet-waste stations and add to the number of recycling containers around town.
Clean Communities funds can also be used for educational programs about the importance of reusing carryout bags and to set up collection programs for donating unwanted bags.
Since NJCCC was launched in 1986, this has been a win-win arrangement. Clean Communities grants help municipalities and counties across New Jersey promote volunteer and paid clean-up events, purchase equipment, support enforcement activities and run educational programs for people of all ages. I believe New Jersey stands as a national prototype for the way in which it innovatively addresses litter.
In fact, DEP Commissioner Shawn LaTourette, in announcing this year’s grant program, noted that since 2016 there has been nearly 350,000 volunteers participating in 217,000 cleanups, working on nearly 600,000 miles and more than 1.6 million acres. There’s been more than 500,000 tons of debris that has been collected; and more than 50,000 litter citations and violations have been issued.
Because of this ongoing litter-abatement campaign, New Jersey is fortunate to not need another tax on residents. Unlike other states, we do not have a program in which people have to pay a deposit on the bottles they purchase and then – after fully cleaning them – return them to the retailer to receive a dime per each one. Imagine if that program was in place in Scotch Plains: A 24-pack of bottled water would cost you $2.40 in an additional tax if you opted to conveniently recycle at home, rather than bringing them back to the store.
NJCCC Executive Director JoAnn Gemenden said Scotch Plains has “consistently been one of the top municipalities in the state in regards to fighting litter.”
"We work closely with Scotch Plains to ensure that state funds are continually maximized to develop and implement anti-litter education and programming in the township, as well as to coordinate local clean-ups,” she said. “We are confident that Scotch Plains will use the funding this year in a smart, strategic way to further expand the Clean Communities mission.”
This year’s funding represents a $3 million statewide increase from last year. Allocations are based on statistical reports that outline the number of housing units and municipally-owned roadway mileage in a respective area.
NJCCC has also helped facilitate the transition away from single-use plastic and paper bags with its Litter Free NJ campaign, using public service announcements, social media and other outreach to remind residents to bring their own reusable bags when shopping, and to recycle plastic bags. These efforts have helped to significantly reduce the amount of plastic pollution in the state by an estimated 8 billion single-use bags per year.
Scotch Plains can be tremendously proud of this ongoing partnership with the DEP and the NJCCC, as we all work together to reduce litter, thus preserving our natural landscape, keeping our wildlife safe and ensuring our stormwater collections are clear to help alleviate local flooding.
