Recycling efforts continue to pay in Ocean County. The Ocean County Board of Chosen Freeholders is getting ready to distribute more than $240,000 to its municipalities that participate in the County’s recycling program.

“The success of recycling in Ocean County is again allowing us to return $241,166 through the Recycling Revenue Sharing Program to our municipalities,” said Freeholder James F. Lacey, who serves as liaison to the county’s recycling program. “Since we began this program we have returned more than $15 million to our towns.

“Recycling continues to provide environmental and economical benefits in Ocean County and we want to encourage everyone – citizens, businesses and towns – to recycle,” Lacey said.

Under the Ocean County Revenue Recycling Sharing Program, municipalities are provided a portion of the recycling revenues based on the amount recycled.

During the first half of 2015, Ocean County collected 36,763 tons of recyclables from its municipalities. The payout per ton for this period was $6.56 per ton.

“Recycling comes with a host of benefits,” said Freeholder Director John C. Bartlett Jr. “One of the greatest benefits is keeping the material out of the landfill and preserving the space there.

“As a result of these recycling efforts, municipalities collectively saved almost $3 million in the first half of 2015 by not dumping those materials in the landfill where they would have to pay a tipping fee,” Bartlett said.

Since 1995, the county has distributed over $15 million to the municipalities that participate in the county’s recycling program through its Recycling Revenue Sharing Program. The amount returned to the towns is based on the amount of recyclables collected and brought to the county and the price per commodity in the current market.

“These prices change all the time,” Lacey said. “And even though we have seen a decline in the average price of each commodity we recycle, we are still able to return money to our towns.”

For instance, corrugated cardboard is down $31.90 per ton to $106 per ton, old newspapers are down $40.47 per ton to $79.53 and some plastics have decreased by as much as $127.80 per ton in comparison to the same period in 2014.

Lacey said towns can use the money as needed although many invest it back into the recycling program.

The towns and the amounts they are scheduled to receive are: Barnegat Township, $7,995; Barnegat Light, $563; Bay Head, $570; Beach Haven, $1,651; Beachwood, $2,955; Berkeley Township, $12,678; Brick Township, $30,281; Eagleswood Township, $670; Harvey Cedars, $373; Island Heights, $743; Jackson Township, $16,694; Lacey Township, $11,851; Lakehurst, $772 and Lakewood Township, $42,743.

Also, Lavallette, $1,341; Little Egg Harbor Township, $8,932.; Long Beach Township, $3,243; Manchester Township, $8,993; Mantoloking, $164; Ocean Township, $2,812; Ocean Gate, $685; Pine Beach, $728; Plumsted Township, $1,773; Point Pleasant Beach, $2,855; Point Pleasant Borough, $8,869; Seaside Heights, $1,500; Seaside Park, $1,323; Ship Bottom, $1,080; South Toms River, $954; Stafford Township, $20,077; Surf City, $1,276; Toms River Township, $42,001, and Tuckerton, $2,005.

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