[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text css=””]IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 22, 2025[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text css=””]

Contact: Vincent Grassi (609) 984-179
Lawrence Hajna (609) 984-1795
Caryn Shinske (609) 984-1795

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MURPHY ADMINISTRATION HONORS RECYCLING LEADERS IN ANNUAL AWARDS PROGRAM

(25/P47) TRENTON – The Murphy Administration today honored individuals, businesses, schools and organizations whose dedication to recycling inspires others to improve their own recycling practices and advance New Jersey’s sustainability goals.

During a ceremony at Jumping Brook Country Club in Neptune, nine recipients of the Department of Environmental Protection’s Recycling Awards Program were honored for their remarkable recycling and sustainability achievements. The awards ceremony was held in conjunction with the annual recycling symposium hosted by the Association of New Jersey Recyclers (ANJR).

Award recipients include a central New Jersey township with a highly successful curbside recycling program, a university that operates a meal recovery program to help those in need, a non-profit organization that diverts bicycles from the waste stream, and a company that processes recyclables from more than 60 municipalities.

“Recycling is a longstanding environmental and economic success story – and a way of life in New Jersey, which paved the way for recycling for the nation,” said Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette. “We applaud the winners for their efforts to keep New Jersey at the forefront of recycling through their outstanding work to advance waste reduction and sustainability in communities across the state.”

In 1987, New Jersey became the first state to enact legislation requiring recycling. Today, the DEP administers several grant and educational programs to support recycling efforts by communities, businesses and schools. The most recent recycling data from 2022 shows the state achieved an overall recycling rate of 54 percent.

As part of its ongoing commitment to a sustainable environment, the Murphy Administration has advanced initiatives to reduce single-use plastics and food waste, advance recycling industry research and recycling education, promote the sustainable management of electric vehicle batteries, and establish recycled content requirements.

“We are confident that the accomplishments of the award winners will serve to inspire others to reduce waste, recycle more and purchase recycled content products at home and on the job,” said Paul Baldauf, DEP’s Assistant Commissioner for Air, Energy and Materials Sustainability. “The DEP is proud of our longstanding partnership with the Association of New Jersey Recyclers to promote sustainability through the conservation of precious resources.”

The DEP urges all residents to recycle plastic and glass containers, metal cans and paper items, and to not place any items they are uncertain about into their collection bin – when in doubt, leave it out. Those who are unsure about whether an item should be put into their recycling bucket should check with their local recycling program to avoid unknowingly “contaminating” their recyclables with unacceptable materials. Such contamination creates serious quality control issues, negatively affects the economics of recycling, and is one of the biggest challenges facing recycling today.

To further public knowledge and prevent contamination of recycled materials, the DEP-funded Recycle Coach information system provides a ‘What Goes Where’ tool where the public can search for how to recycle specific items according to local collection requirements.

The 2025 Recycling Award winners, organized by category, include:

Institution

Saint Peter’s University (Hudson County)

Saint Peter’s University, through its Campus Kitchen program, recovers food donations from hospitals, restaurants and other partners to deliver meals to charitable organizations, families and individuals in need. In addition, the university operates a food pantry and used clothing donation center.

Business

Garden Communities (Union County)

The Garden Communities real estate firm worked closely with the Union County Bureau of Recycling and Planning and a hauler to improve collection service and distribute recycling educational materials to residents of their apartment complexes. This led to a 30 percent increase in the number of recyclables collected from 2023 to 2024.

Government

Township of Monroe (Middlesex County)

The Township of Monroe achieved a 65 percent recycling rate thanks in part to its successful curbside recycling program and new Center for Hard to Recycle Material. The Center was constructed in 2024 and accepts plastic film, books, batteries, eyeglasses, cell phones, light bulbs and more. Monroe also provides drop-off bins for old clothing and textiles, holds quarterly paper shredding events and recycles polystyrene using a densifier.

Leadership

Fanwood Green Team (Union County)

The Fanwood Green Team community volunteer group launched Fanwood Cares in 2024, a new collection program for non-traditional recyclable materials including used crayons, gently used or new shoes and used Lego blocks. The items are then donated to various charities. In its first year of operation, the program collected 235 pounds of Legos, 420 pairs of shoes and 111 pounds of crayons.

Rising Star

Green Good Guardians (Middlesex County)

Green Good Guardians is a youth-led organization that implemented an innovative reuse program called the SecondVerse Initiative. Volunteers in the program collect partially used notebooks to rebind reclaimed paper into newly fashioned notebooks, which are then donated to underprivileged students. The initiative began in East Brunswick and can now be found in 65 locations across New Jersey, New York and Connecticut. To date, the program has collected more than 6,000 notebooks, saved almost 156,000 clean pages and donated more than 3,500 notebooks.

Outstanding Educator/Educational Program

Sussex County Municipal Utilities Authority (Sussex County)

The Sussex County Municipal Utilities Authority (SCMUA) provides robust recycling education through a redesigned website that features improved recycling graphics and new content including a Recycling in Your Town section, food waste reduction guidance and recycling guidance for businesses. In addition, SCMUA offers recycling center tours and educational events, exhibitions, and presentations.

Recycling Industry

Atlantic Coast Recycling (Passaic County)

In early 2024, Atlantic Coast Recycling opened a new recycling processing center in Passaic equipped with the most advanced processing technology available today. The facility now serves more than 60 New Jersey municipalities and processes between 16,000 and 20,000 tons of recyclable bottles, cans and paper per month.

Waste Reduction, Resource Management/Sustainability

Boys & Girls Clubs of Mercer County Bike Exchange (Mercer County)

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Mercer County Bike Exchange is a non-profit organization run by approximately 50 volunteers who collect, repair, and sell used bicycles in the Trenton area. The Bike Exchange keeps old bicycles out of the waste stream and donates proceeds to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Mercer County for afterschool and educational programs. In 2024, the Bike Exchange sold 1,857 refurbished bicycles.

Volunteer Citizen

Mimi Zukoff (Union County)

Mimi Zukoff, Chair of the City of Summit’s Recycling Advisory Committee, developed and implemented waste reduction initiatives, including a partnership with BookSmiles to keep used books out of the waste stream. In 2024, this initiative provided 21,000 pounds of books to teachers and students in need.

More Information

To learn more about the state’s recycling and waste reduction efforts, visit recycle.nj.gov

Visit the Association of New Jersey Recyclers at anjr.com

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