$45K Grant to Help Clean Up Mahwah

Mahwah is receiving a bit more money from the state this year than it did last year to help combat litter in the borough.

Governor Chris Christie announced last week that Mahwah will receive a $45,586 Clean Communities grant this year, up from the $38,827 it received last year.

Mayor Bill Laforet said the money will be put to good use in the township.

"It helps in so many ways, and we are fortunate to have a great relationship with the County and Governor's office," he said. "All sum, it's good for Mahwah."

According to a release from Christie’s office, the Department of Environmental Protection gave out $18.3 million this year in Clean Communities grants to municipalities and counties across the state. According to the release, the grants are funded by a “legislated user-fee on manufacturers, wholesalers and distributors that produce litter-generating products.”

The state determines the grant amount for each town based on the number of housing units in each town, and miles of municipally-owned roadways, the release said.

Towns can use the money for different types of clean-up projects throughout the year, including litter clean-ups and town-wide clean-up days, educational programs to help promote clean communities, graffiti clean-up, and the enforcement of local anti-littering laws.

Of all of the municipalities in Bergen, Hackensack received the biggest grant this year, totaling over $68K. The county itself also received a $133,993 grant this year.

Check out the table below to see how much other nearby municipalities received.

Town

2013 Clean Communities Grant

Allendale

$12,081.72

Franklin Lakes

$ 25,754.62

Mahwah

$ 45,586.30

Oakland

$ 24,386.01

Paramus

$ 44,587.19

Ramsey

$ 26,755.43

Saddle River

$ 9,512.24

Upper Saddle River

$ 18,805.55

Wyckoff

$ 32,882.06

See the full grant list here.

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