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As part of an ongoing effort to encourage recycling, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) recognized several businesses, organizations and individuals for their efforts to make the state a cleaner and safer place.

Presented during an Oct. 23 symposium held by the Association of New Jersey Recyclers, the NJDEP’s 43rd annual Recycling Awards honorees include:

• A major energy company recycling or reusing nearly all the waste it generates;
• A nonprofit reducing food waste by distributing recovered meals to local families in need; and
• A business that has kept over 10 million pounds of secondhand clothing out of landfills.

Meet the winners

Business – Public Service Electric & Gas

“Public Service Electric & Gas (PSE&G) is dedicated to recycling or reusing nearly all the waste it generates. In 2023, PSE&G reused over 2,500 tons of timber wetland mats, which historically would have been sent to a landfill. In addition, the company has kept tons of reusable items out of the trash through donations and provides recycling buckets to its mobile workforce trucks to assist in sorting recyclables in the field.”

Government – Old Bridge Township

“In addition to curbside recyclables, Old Bridge Township collects many non-traditional recyclable materials such as mattresses, box springs, concrete, appliances, propane tanks, and more. The township also holds two paper shredding events each year and promotes its recycling programs in numerous ways – at public events, via Recycle Coach, the township website, a recycling calendar and more.”

Leadership – Sustainable Maple Shade

“Sustainable Maple Shade runs several unique recycling and reuse programs that go beyond traditional recycling and set an example for others to follow. These programs include a Halloween Costume Swap, a Trash to Treasure Halloween Candy wrapper collection, and broken holiday lights collection. Sustainable Maple Shade also participates in the NexTrex Recycling Challenge to recycle plastic film and promotes its recycling and reuse programs at numerous public events.”

Leadership – Gary Sondermeyer

“Gary Sondermeyer has played a prominent role in shaping New Jersey’s recycling and sustainability policies, having taken on leadership roles in numerous initiatives and organizations that work to advance recycling in the state. Sondermeyer served the public during a career at DEP that spanned three decades. In addition to serving as DEP’s chief of staff for 10 years, he also served as assistant commissioner for the department’s core permitting programs and spent most of his time within the Solid Waste and Recycling Program, where he served as director.”

Rising Star – Share My Meals

“Share My Meals is a non-profit organization that fights food insecurity and the environmental impacts of food waste by recovering and delivering healthy meals in local communities. Surplus, complete meals are recovered from corporate cafeterias and other food service providers and distributed to local families in need. In 2023, Share My Meals recovered 62,000 meals that would otherwise have been disposed as trash.”

Outstanding Educator/Educational Program – Riverside Middle School

“Riverside Middle School participated in the NexTrex Recycling Challenge to recycle 2,375 pounds of plastic film and, as a result of its comprehensive educational campaign, achieved third place among all challenge participants and first place in the Mid-Atlantic region. In addition, the school expanded its program into the business community and now helps other schools get started with their own programs.”

Recycling Industry – Helpsy

“Helpsy is a textile reuse and recycling company that accepts old clothing, shoes and other materials. In 2023, Helpsy collected over 12.3 million pounds of old clothing and textiles, which represented an 18 percent increase over the previous year. Helpsy is actively involved in educating the public on this issue.”

Source Reduction, Resource Management/Sustainability – Booksmiles

“Booksmiles is a non-profit organization dedicated to keeping used books out of the waste stream and getting them into the hands of teachers, as well as students in need. Booksmiles now recovers 94 tons of used books per month. The organization provides the recovered books for free to all and even sends books overseas to impoverished countries.”

Source Reduction, Resource Management/Sustainability – Morris and Sussex Counties’ Boat Shrink Wrap Recycling Programs

“Morris and Sussex Counties’ Boat Shrink Wrap Recycling programs diverted many tons of contaminant-free, recyclable plastic material from being landfilled. The program was well received by the local boating community and continues to grow. The Lake Hopatcong Foundation, Roxbury Clean Communities, and the recycler UltraPoly Corporation are other key partners in the program. A dedicated educational campaign was developed to promote the program.”

Volunteer Citizen – Linda Weih

“In 2023, Linda Weih participated in the NexTrex Recycling Challenge to collect plastic bags and film for recycling in her hometown of Delanco. Weih volunteers for multiple community groups in town and registered each of them with the program. Weih collected the plastics from each group and made over 50 trips to deliver more than 2,600 pounds of material to the recycling center.”

In a statement, NJDEP Commissioner Shawn LaTourette commended the award recipients. LaTourette highlighted their “outstanding work to promote recycling and educate their communities of reducing waste to better protect our natural resources.”

“Since 1987, when New Jersey became the first state to require recycling, our state has consistently delivered forward-looking solutions to improve recycling programs and enhance sustainable practices. We would not be a national leader if not for those constantly seeking to refine and innovate how we recycle,” he continued.

Paul Baldauf, NJDEP assistant commissioner for air quality, energy and sustainability, added, “We proudly recognize these award winners for their focused and innovative efforts to keep New Jersey’s environment clean and healthy. We hope promoting their accomplishments will inspire others to adopt better recycling practices.”

New Jersey has one of the nation’s highest recycling rates (54%), surpassing the national rate of 32%, according to the state.

See also:

• Photo of the day: TerraCycle opens new R&D lab in Trenton
• ShopRite, TerraCycle partner on flexible plastic packaging recycling program (updated)