Monroe Township Awarded $94,000 Clean Communities Grant from DEP; Increase of Nearly $9K from 2020
MONROE TOWNSHIP, N.J. – July 21, 2021 – Monroe Township today announced that it is the recipient of a $94,059.62 Clean Communities grant from the State of New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) Solid Waste Division.
Clean Communities grants are intended to help municipalities and counties across New Jersey promote volunteer and paid clean-up events, purchase equipment, support enforcement activities and educational opportunities.
“The Township Council and I strive to move toward a cleaner, greener future for Monroe Township,” said Mayor Stephen Dalina. “Our Department of Public Works conducts numerous programs aimed at keeping our town litter-free throughout the year. It is through programs like Clean Communities that we are able to help keep our streets, open space, recreation areas and township grounds clear of litter and debris.”
This year’s grant reflects an increase of nearly $9,000 from the grant received in 2020. Monroe Township is the sixth-largest recipient in all of Middlesex County. This grant award allows the Township to continue to improve upon its ongoing community engagement and education initiatives.
"Monroe has consistently been one of the top municipalities in the state in regards to fighting litter," said JoAnn Gemenden, executive director, New Jersey Clean Communities Council.
"We work closely with Joe Slomian to ensure that state funds are continually maximized to develop and implement anti-litter education and programming in Monroe, as well as to coordinate local clean-ups,” she said. “We are confident that Joe and his team will use the $9,000 increase this year in a smart, strategic way to further expand the mission in Monroe."
This summer the Clean Communities grant helped to fund a new summer employment program through the Department of Public Works called the Monroe Clean Communities Clean Team. The Clean Team consists of two residents 18 years of age and older who spend 12 hours a week picking up litter along Monroe Township’s roadsides, parks and open spaces throughout the summer months.
In addition, the Township offers Monroe-based non-profit and community-service groups through its Mini-grant program that offers $500 per group for running localized clean-up efforts. Interested organizations can register for litter patrol opportunities at Township approved sites by contacting Clean Communities Coordinator, Joe Slomian at 732-656-4575.
“Litter comes from many sources and these grants help us to organize community programs that educate the public about proper trash disposal, reducing waste and the environmental impacts of litter,” said Slomian.
Through the grant program, the NJDEP issued more than $19.4 million to municipalities and counties across the state, basing its allocations on statistical reports that outline the number of housing units and municipally owned roadway mileage in a respective area. Grants are funded by a legislated user-fee on manufacturers, wholesalers and distributors that produce litter-generating products.
For a complete list of municipal and county grant awards, visit www.njclean.org.
All media inquiries may be directed to the Monroe Township’s Public Information Officer Stacey Kennedy at 732-521-4400 or