State Gives Manasquan, Belmar $26K for Litter Cleanup

Manasquan and Belmar received a combined $26,000 in state grant funds for litter cleanup and beautification projects, according to a release from the state Department of Environmental Protection. 

Gov. Chris Christie announced on Monday that the state's municipalities and counties will receive $16 million in Clean Communities grant funding, of which Manasquan will get $12,908 and Belmar will take another $13,284. Monmouth County also will receive an additional $93,942, the release says. 

The DEP awarded $13.86 million to 559 eligible municipalities (seven municipalities are not eligible because they have fewer than 200 housing units), the release says.

An additional $1.73 million was awarded to all 21 counties, the release says.

“Cleaning up litter protects our natural resources, improves our quality of life and builds a strong sense of pride in our communities,” DEP Commissioner Bob Martin said in the release. “With these grants, our municipalities and counties will be able to carry out important programs that remove litter and graffiti from our neighborhoods and highways, making our communities better places to live and work.”

The nonprofit Clean Communities Council by law oversees the reporting requirements for the program, the release says.

The grants are funded by a legislated user-fee on manufacturers, wholesalers and distributors that produce litter-generating products, the release says.

Funding to municipalities are based on the number of housing units and miles of municipally-owned roadways within each town. Disbursements to counties are based on the number of miles of roads each county owns, the release says.