Township May Win Sustainable Jersey Grant for Composter

The Chatham Township Environmental Commission (CTEC) hopes to see their hard work pay off next week when the winners of $220,000 in Sustainable Jersey Small Grants are announced.

The CTEC applied for $25,000 in grant money in July, enough to purchase a food composter that would be installed at Chatham High School. The cost of the composter, called the Rocket Composter, would be about $20,000. The remainder of the grant money would go toward composting education programs.

"It's seen as the next frontier in recycling and waste management," said Commission member Kathy Abbott at a meeting of the Township Committee in June.

The Rocket Composter is made by Tidy Planet and sold by NATH Sustainable Solutions. It measures about the length of a lunch table. It will be kept at the high school but food from all six public schools in Chatham will be trucked to the high school to be processed by the composter.

About $4,000 to $6,000 will be saved in mulching and landscape fees as a result of the composter's presence.

Other grant applications from municipalities in Morris, Union, Warren and Somerset Counties this year included wind turbines, electric vehicle charging stations and water conservation outreach.

Grant winners will be announced at a media event on Wednesday in the Court Room on the first floor of the Chatham Township Municipal Building. The event begins at 11 a.m. and members of the public are encouraged to attend.