New Jersey Honors Recycling and Sustainability Leaders During Annual Awards Program

SEATTLE (Waste Advantage): The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection has honored businesses, organizations and individual recycling leaders during an annual symposium hosted by the Association of New Jersey Recyclers (ANJR). Award winners include a Bergen County health facility that is reducing food waste, a Union County business that has been recycling foam materials since the early 1970s, and Marie Kruzan, the recently retired longtime Executive Director of ANJR.

“My DEP colleagues and I congratulate this year’s award winners and applaud them for sharing their passion for recycling, waste reduction and conservation of resources with all of us,” Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette said. “These leaders are making a difference through the excitement and new ideas they bring to their communities, their businesses and their schools. In doing so, they continue to build upon New Jersey’s tradition of leading the way on recycling for the nation. In addition, we congratulate and thank Marie Kruzan for more than three decades of tireless dedication to advancing the recycling ethic throughout the Garden State through her work with ANJR.”

In 1987, New Jersey became the first state to enact legislation requiring recycling in residential, commercial and institutional settings. Through strong grants and education programs, New Jersey has achieved an overall recycling rate of 55 percent.

“Recycling remains an important way for the public to conserve resources, reduce waste, enhance sustainability, and improve our quality of life,” said Paul Baldauf, Assistant Commissioner for Air, Energy and Materials Sustainability. “These award winners should serve as role models for all of us in our daily lives.”

The DEP urges all residents to participate in their local recycling program and do their part to keep non-acceptable materials, such as plastic bags, trash, propane tanks and used syringes, out of curbside and workplace recycling bins.

Courtesy: www.wasteadvantage.com