FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<\/strong> Contact: <\/strong> Caryn Shinske (609) 984-1795 \u201cWe\u00a0proudly recognize these award\u00a0winners\u00a0for their focused and innovative\u00a0efforts\u00a0to\u00a0keep New Jersey\u2019s environment clean and healthy,\u201d said Paul Baldauf, DEP\u2019s Assistant Commissioner for Air Quality, Energy and Sustainability.\u00a0\u201cWe hope promoting their accomplishments will inspire\u00a0others to adopt better recycling practices.\u201d<\/p>\n In 1987, New Jersey became the first state to enact legislation that requires recycling in residential, commercial and institutional settings.\u00a0New Jersey remains a national leader in recycling and achieved an overall recycling rate of 58 percent in 2018, the most recent year for which data is available.\u00a0The DEP administers several grant and educational programs\u00a0to help improve the statewide recycling rate.<\/p>\n The NJDEP urges all residents to participate in their local recycling program and do their part to keep non-acceptable materials, such as plastic bags, trash, propane tanks and used syringes, out of curbside and workplace recycling bins.<\/p>\n \u201cFor recycling to work, we need to keep our recycling mix clean and free of\u00a0these\u00a0problematic items,\u201d\u00a0Commissioner LaTourette said.\u00a0\u201cIt is important to remember that recyclable items are valuable raw materials used to make new products and should not be mixed in with trash.\u201d<\/p>\n RECYCLING AWARDS<\/strong><\/p>\n Business<\/strong> \u2013 Earth Friendly Products (ECOS)<\/strong> Government – Town of Westfield Department of Public Works<\/strong> Leadership – Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory<\/strong> Rising Star – Matthew A. Karmel<\/strong>
\nOctober 19, 2021<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\nLawrence Hajna (609) 984-1795<\/p>\n<\/div>\nNJDEP COMMISSIONER LATOURETTE RECOGNIZES NEW JERSEY’S RECYCLING LEADERS <\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"Recycle](\"\/newsrel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/32\/2021\/21_0032_clip_image001.jpg\")
Earth Friendly Products (ECOS) in Morris County, the Ocean County Department of Solid Waste Management, and Matthias Choi of Norwood in Bergen County are among the\u00a0nine businesses, organizations and individuals to be formally recognized at the annual recycling awards program virtual awards ceremony tomorrow, held in conjunction with an Association of New Jersey Recyclers (ANJR) educational webinar. (Registration is still open at www.anjr.com<\/a>.)I join with my colleagues at the Department of Environmental Protection in\u00a0commending this year\u2019s honorees for their great efforts to promote recycling and educate their communities about the importance of diverting waste, which helps to better protect our natural resources and reduce emissions that contribute to climate change,\u201d Commissioner\u00a0LaTourette\u00a0said.<\/p>\n
\nThrough numerous recycling and waste reduction initiatives, Earth Friendly Products (ECOS) was able to keep 98 percent of the waste it generates out of the waste disposal stream in 2020.<\/p>\n
\nIn addition to its curbside collection program, the Town of Westfield in Union County also operates an innovative recycling drop-off center that accepts a wide range of both traditional and non-traditional recyclable materials.<\/p>\n
\nThe Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory recycled 52 percent of its municipal solid waste and 82 percent of its construction and demolition waste during 2020. The facility also runs several successful reuse programs.<\/p>\n
\nMatthew Karmel, an attorney at Riker Danzig Scherer Hyland & Perretti LLP, has worked diligently to support organic waste recycling efforts in New Jersey. He has provided pro bono legal representation directed at expanding community composting efforts in the state and played a key role in forming the NJ Composting Council<\/a>.<\/p>\n