EPA Press Office:

Ocean County, New Jersey Selected for $1.9 Million Grant in First-Ever EPA Funding to Promote Less Waste

New Jersey Also Slated to Receive Funding for Statewide Efforts

NEW YORK (Sept. 13, 2023) - Today, in the first ever U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) funding under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), EPA announced that Ocean County, New Jersey has been selected to receive $1.9 million dollars. New Jersey is also slated to receive over $490,000 to support its ongoing efforts to sustainably manage materials and generate less waste.  Ocean county will install a state-of-the-art system to manage plastic bags, which can damage materials recovery and recyling facilities.  The grants will be awarded using funding from the Biden Administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).

“President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda tackles our most pressing environmental challenges including climate change and lead in drinking water, and today we add another historic investment to better manage waste in communities across America,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “By investing in better recycling, EPA is deploying resources to provide recycling services across the country, including in disadvantaged communities, while preventing waste that contributes to the climate crisis, supporting local economies and creating good-paying jobs.”

“Previous generations have had a throw away mentality that just simply does not match our needs or help us reach our goals for a healthy environment that can be enjoyed for generations to come,” said EPA Regional Administrator Lisa F. Garcia. “The SWIFR grant program seeks to put the common adage ‘waste not want not’ into action. This funding will help New Jersey’s work to reduce waste and it allows Ocean County to use cutting edge technology to maximize its resource recovery program.”

“As communities across the state grapple with the impacts of climate change, delivering grants and support to boost our recycling infrastructure and waste management systems is critical to saving energy and reducing the emissions of greenhouse gases and pollutants in our atmosphere,” said Senator Bob Menendez (NJ). “Additionally, improving our waste management systems is key to ensuring that plastics don’t make their way into our waterways and oceans, where they pollute our beaches, harm marine life, and can enter the food chain. I’m proud to have championed bipartisan efforts to address plastic pollution. Thanks to these grants, Ocean County will have the resources to better manage plastic bags in their recyclables mix and analyze the waste stream to identify potential areas of improvements while creating jobs.” 

Senator Cory Booker said, “Recycling is an important part of managing our plastic pollution crisis as we also work to move away from overreliance on single-use plastic. Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, EPA’s investment in New Jersey’s recycling and solid waste management will help address plastic pollution, create jobs, and reduce waste, especially in environmental justice communities.” 

“Today's announcement from the EPA is an important step to ensure that our waste and recycling system solves the pollution crisis instead of contributing to it,” U.S. Representative Frank Pallone (NJ-06). “These grants will help New Jersey communities to fight the climate crisis and protect the Jersey Shore from debris and microplastics. I want to thank President Biden and Administrator Regan for being such great partners in investing in and modernizing America's infrastructure.”

Ocean County will use the EPA funding to install an artificial intelligence (AI) powered optical classification system.  This system will combine cameras and cutting-edge AI-technology, and will help to analyze the waste stream, and identify potential areas of improvement. The county also intends to install a secondary eddy current separator, which uses a powerful magnetic field to separate aluminum and aluminum foil from other materials. The installation of these devices will reduce damage to the existing equipment and increase the efficiency of the existing system. This will lead to reduced contamination of the recycling stream and increase the value of recovered materials.

All states and territories also received SWIFR funding. The money for states and territories will help support their efforts to improve post-consumer materials management programs through planning, data collection, and the implementation of plans. The funding is part of EPA’s overall efforts to invest in America by strengthening infrastructure and implementing programs for lasting change. It will aid communities and states in modeling what’s known as a “circular economy” by building a program to keep materials and products in circulation for as long as possible.

“New Jersey is extremely grateful to the EPA for the more than $2.3 million in grant funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that will further our continuing investment and commitment to recycling,” New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette said. “As the first state in the nation to enact mandatory recycling in 1987, New Jersey is proud of the many initiatives we have in place to keep the environment clean while ensuring that clean communities lead to economic growth and revitalization, expanding job opportunities and local pride.” 

“Ocean County residents have embraced the Ocean County Board of Commissioners’ recycling efforts since the program was implemented in the 1980s. It has been a huge benefit to our environment and in preserving landfill space,” said Ocean County Commissioner and liaison to the Ocean County Department of Solid Waste Management Barbara Jo Crea. “We continue to build on its strong foundation, adding new services and by updating our material processing facility.  This grant will assist us in our efforts to make sure our recyclables meet market standards and allow us to continue to expand our programs and in turn increase the value of recycling in Ocean County. We appreciate the EPA considering Ocean County for this funding.”

EPA’s Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling Grant Program is also advancing President's Justice40 Initiative, which aims to ensure that 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized, underserved, and overburdened by pollution. Approximately $56 million out of the $73 million – or 76% - of the total funding for communities will go toward projects that benefit disadvantaged communities.

Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling Grants for Communities

More than two thirds of the funding for the projects announced today are going toward projects that benefit disadvantaged communities. The recycling grants for communities will support improvements to waste management systems across the country and will range from $500,000 to $4 million per grant. This will allow resources to be used more efficiently and reduce the impact have on our planet and the climate. Projects that will be supported by this investment include purchasing new fleets of recycling collection vehicles and bins to provide curbside recycling services for communities currently lacking access; upgrades to material recovery facilities to reduce contamination; enhancements to composting and organics programs and infrastructure, and construction of various types of facilities that improve recycling, composting, and reuse infrastructure for materials such as plastics and food waste. Collectively, these grants from EPA’s Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling Grant Program will keep valuable resources out of our landfills and will significantly contribute to our efforts to reduce our carbon footprint. This grant will also help fund recycling services to disadvantaged communities that have been traditionally underserved by recycling services. And they will create good-paying jobs in rural and urban communities across the country.

Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling Grants for States and Territories

The recycling grants for states and territories will provide funding to all 56 states, territories, and the District of Columbia via grants ranging from $360,000 to $750,000; with the highest grant amounts supporting those states and territories that need it the most. These grants represent important steps toward achieving the EPA’s National Recycling Goal and Food Loss and Waste Reduction Goal. Funded activities include improving post-consumer materials management programs through developing or updating solid waste management plans and strengthening data collection efforts.

Additional Background:

Today’s announcement for states, territories, and communities is the first round of funding from this new grant program. In the coming months, EPA will announce the selected recipients of the recycling grants for Tribes and intertribal consortia, as well as the recipients of EPA’s new Recycling Education and Outreach grant program. 

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides $275 million total from fiscal year 2022 to fiscal year 2026 for grants authorized under the Save Our Seas 2.0 Act - the largest investment in recycling in 30 years. The recycling grants are supplemented with additional funding provided through EPA’s annual appropriations. EPA has selected these entities to receive funding for recycling infrastructure projects and anticipates making all the awards announced today once all legal and administrative requirements are satisfied. 

For details about the Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling Grant Program selectees and other Bipartisan Infrastructure Law-related funding opportunities, visit the EPA recycling grants webpage.

For more information about SWIFR visit the SWIFR website. To learn more about how EPA is Investing in America visit Investing in America.

Follow EPA Region 2 on Twitter and visit our Facebook page. For more information about EPA Region 2, visit our website.

 

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