Press Coverage

City gets funds for cleanup

Tuesday, April 11, 2006

By TOM HESTER SR.

Newhouse News Service

Trenton, Newark, Jersey City, Woodbridge, Edison and Elizabeth are among the municipalities benefiting the most from $8.46 million in state funding for litter prevention and graffiti cleanup, it was announced yesterday.

The 21 county governments will share $1.05 million.

The grants are made possible by the Clean Communities legislation, enacted in 2002. The law imposes a fee on companies manufacturing products that generate litter.

"Cleaning up litter not only protects the quality of natural resources, it improves the quality of life in New Jersey and strengthens residents' pride in their neighborhoods," Environmental Protection Commissioner Lisa P. Jackson said yesterday.

Recipients also can use the funds on projects and equipment that would advance litter prevention, public anti-littering education, and adopt-a-highway campaigns.

Receiving the most money were Newark with $190,879, Jersey City $165,048, Woodbridge $80,647, Edison $80,295, Elizabeth $80,225, and Trenton $63,974.

Seven municipalities did not receive funding because they were not eligible or did not participate. The DEP could not immediately provide the names of those towns.

DEP officials said the Clean Communities funding distribution is based on an established formula that includes housing units and road-mileage numbers. Municipalities and counties are automatically eligible for funding, if they meet the Clean Communities program's criteria.

To amount each municipality received is available at: www.nj.gov/dep/esp/