The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection has just released the recycling tonnage grants figures for 2012, and Carlstadt ranked among the top five towns in the entire state and second in Bergen County for its amount of recycling tonnage.

In 2012 alone, the Borough of Carlstadt received a grant totaling $85,576, which adds to a three-year total of $252,298. The money that the town earns is put directly back into the recycling program, and it helps Carlstadt provide continuous maintenance for it.

Initially, recycling was collected by the Carlstadt Department of Public Works every two weeks; however, now it is done once a week. This change was crucial according to Councilman Stoltz who is responsible for the oversight of the recycling program.

The councilman was overjoyed by the amount of grant money Carlstadt received from the states and credits the hard working individuals who put forth great effort to make the program so successful. Stoltz stated, “Not only does recycling play a crucial role in in helping the environment, but it saves the town an enormous amount of money.”

Carlstadt’s Recycling Committee has taken great strides to reach its current level of success. Councilman Stoltz said, “With the help of Mary Anderson, we have been able to expand the program to the schools so that the students can take what they learn in school and convince their parents to become more involved.”

As a teacher, Mrs. Anderson started the recycling program in Carlstadt Public School. She applied for grants from the Bergen County Utilities Authority and she was able to use this money to purchase bins for the cafeteria and hallways. “Each time I applied, I used the money to implement more recycling programs in and around the school grounds,” said the science teacher.

Mrs. Anderson also spoke highly of the town’s dedication to the program. She made it clear that without the help of the town, Carlstadt Public School would not have the dumpsters needed to hold all of the school’s recyclable material.

Mrs. Anderson explained her passion for recycling by stating, “It is the right thing to do for us, for our children and for the world around us. When we run out of land to put our trash, what will we do? Recycling serves a great purpose for everyone.”

Anderson also stated that the recycling committee tries to get people more interested in contributing less to landfills and more to recycling. She believes this could beautify our town and assist with keeping our taxes low.

Councilman Stoltz feels the same way and said, “It takes more then one person to keep the town clean, it requires a large amount of effort from the community. The success of our town’s recycling program truly shows that the people of Carlstadt do their part in making Carlstadt an environmentally friendly town.”