On October 28, 2026, the Sherrill Administration recognized six businesses and organizations in the annual Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Recycling Awards program. This commends the businesses’ efforts in a wide range of actions related to recycling and sustainability, including composting programs, reduction of food waste, and solar panel recycling — all relevant, thorny problems. It shows that creativity and innovation can and must be applied in pursuing sustainability.
Mikie Sherrill is the second woman to serve as governor of New Jersey, having taken office in January 2026. Sherrill spent years on active duty in the Navy before attending law school and then working in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Jersey as an Outreach and Reentry Coordinator, and now runs a democratic administration as governor.
The DEP Recycling Awards are part of the DEP’s goal of urging “all residents, businesses and institutions to participate in their local recycling program and do their part to keep non-acceptable materials […] out of […] recycling bins,” as stated on the DEP’s website. The awards are given out annually and recognize creative solutions for recycling and reducing waste. This year, the following six organizations were recognized:
The City of Hoboken was recognized for its municipal residential composting program. In 2015, 4 compost drop-off sites were implemented in Hoboken, and as of 2021, there are 12 sites throughout the city where residents can drop off their food scraps. This is a free service offered to residents by the City of Hoboken in partnership with Community Compost Company. Additionally, they offer a pickup service with a monthly fee where residents can have food scraps picked up from their doorstep on designated days instead of having to walk to a nearby compost bin.
Commercial Solar Panel Recycling Inc., Phillipsburg, is New Jersey’s first and only dedicated solar panel recycling center, which helps keep solar panels, glass, junction boxes, and wiring out of landfills. Their goal is to keep green energy green by reducing the amount of renewable technology that ends up in landfills after use.
Table to Table is a nonprofit that redistributes fresh surplus food that would otherwise go to waste, delivering it for free to organizations that serve the hungry. Their app, I-Rescue, can be used by anyone in Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Morris, and Passaic counties to donate food or volunteer to rescue food, picking it up and delivering it to neighbors in need.
Torus, West Windsor is a student-led nonprofit that runs a curbside food waste collection program to keep food waste out of landfills. They provide free compost pickup to many cities in Mercer, Middlesex, Somerset, and Monmouth counties.
ECOS (Earth Friendly Products) is a manufacturer of green cleaning products that has successfully diverted 99.3% of its manufacturing and office waste from disposal facilities.
The Roxbury Community Repair Café was recognized for its community events where skilled volunteers repair household items, keeping them working for longer to extend product lifespans. It is run by the Lake Hopatcong Foundation, Roxbury Library, and Roxbury Township Recycling.
In honoring organizations for many different kinds of actions that enhance sustainability, these awards show that there is more than one way to go about it. They are important because they draw attention to clear actions that businesses can take to be more environmentally friendly and encourage them to continue dedicating time, effort, and money to being sustainable. Recycling not only promotes public health and reduces pollution by conserving resources, but also creates jobs. One of the main problems, however, is contamination from incorrect materials being recycled, which detracts from both the environmental and economic benefits. This is why informing consumers and promoting proper recycling habits is important to the state of New Jersey and the United States as a whole.
