Galloway to Receive Over $67,000 in Clean Communities Grants From the State

Galloway Township will receive over $67,000 in clean communities grants for 2012, Gov. Chris Christie announced on Monday, April 30.

The exact amount Galloway will receive is $67,172.12, and as a whole, Atlantic County will receive $97,124.70, the Christie Administration announced. It's part of $16 million in grants distributed throughout the entire state to help municipalities and counties in litter cleanup efforts.

Of that total, $13.86 million were awarded to 559 municipalities, and an additional $1.73 million was awarded to the 21 counties, the state said. Seven municipalities have fewer than 200 housing units, and are thus ineligible for the grants, the state said. Number of housing units and miles of municipality-owned roads determine disbursements to municipalities, the state said. Distribution to counties are determined by the number of miles of roads each county owns, the state said.

“Cleaning up litter protects our natural resources, improves our quality of life and builds a strong sense of pride in our communities,” New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) Commissioner Bob Martin said. “With these grants, our municipalities and counties will be able to carry out important programs that remove litter and graffiti from our neighborhoods and highways, making our communities better places to live and work.”

“This grant program is a perfect example of state, local and nonprofit partnerships working together to maximize the use of our resources to address environmental issues,” said Jane Kozinski, Assistant Commissioner for Environmental Management. “Equally important, schools, community groups, local governments and local businesses participate in the cleanups funded by these grants, boosting community spirit and civic pride.”

The nonprofit Clean Communities Council oversees the reporting requirements of the program, according to state law. The grants are funded by a legislated user-fee on manufacturers, wholesalers and distributors that produce litter-generating products, according to the state.

“Clean Communities funding is a real blessing for municipalities and counties in New Jersey,” Clean Communities Council Executive Director Sandy Huber said. “This money offsets strained budgets by providing funding for volunteer cleanups, purchase of equipment related to cleanup and storm drain activities, enforcement of litter laws, and education in the schools. Clean Communities has a 20-year legacy in New Jersey as the only fully funded, statewide anti-litter program.  We are grateful to Governor Chris Christie for his ongoing efforts to keep New Jersey’s communities clean.”

For lists of municipal and county grant awards, visit: http://www.nj.gov/dep/docs/county20120430.pdf  and http://www.nj.gov/dep/docs/municipal20120430.pdf