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Sustainable Jersey previews 2025 litter-prevention action, ties enforcement to ordinance and data collection
Summary
Sustainable Jersey unveiled a draft 2025 municipal action that would require a litter assessment, stronger local ordinances beyond NJDEP rules, documented enforcement and a litter-data survey for community cleanups; the program will award points for outreach and use of Recycle Coach tools.
Sustainable Jersey on the New Jersey Clean Communities winter webinar on Dec. 20 previewed a new 2025 "litter prevention education and compliance" action that would ask municipalities to perform litter assessments, adopt ordinances that extend beyond the NJDEP litter control ordinance and document enforcement methods.
Samantha McGraw, senior department administrator with Sustainable Jersey, said the action will also require municipalities to complete a litter data and survey form for at least one community cleanup and to develop a robust education and outreach campaign. "We'll be looking to see that a litter assessment or strategy has been completed" and that municipalities document enforcement methods, McGraw said during the presentation.
Why it matters: Sustainable Jersey's certification program is widely used by New Jersey municipalities and schools; the new action ties points and recognition to measurable prevention steps rather than one-off cleanups. McGraw highlighted that participation in Sustainable Jersey's municipal program has grown and that the certification framework awards points for repeatable, documented practices.
The proposal also awards extra points for using the Recycle Coach Clean Communities package, a feature McGraw said will make it easier for towns to post cleanup calendars and share outreach materials. Municipalities can pair the action with local ordinances that go "beyond the NJDEP litter control ordinance," McGraw said, signaling Sustainable Jersey's intent to push for enforceable local policy and compliance tracking.
Grants and deadlines: McGraw said Sustainable Jersey distributes grants and currently has two open cycles funded by the PSEG Foundation (municipal and school cycles). She listed municipal application deadlines (municipal cycle due Feb. 14; school cycle due March 7) and encouraged towns to register with Sustainable Jersey to be eligible.
What remains unclear: The draft action will be finalized when Sustainable Jersey publishes the official litter action and the final litter-survey form; McGraw and New Jersey Clean Communities said a sample is already posted on njclean.org. Specific enforcement standards, penalty structures and the criteria for what constitutes an ordinance that "goes beyond" NJDEP requirements were discussed in general terms but not specified during the webinar.
Next steps: Sustainable Jersey will release the official action and associated materials; McGraw invited attendees to join the mailing list and watch for the biweekly Sustainable Jersey updates for the formal release.
