Township Seeks Grant for Composter

The township will apply for a Sustainable Jersey grant that would allow it to purchase a food composter that would be placed at Chatham High School.

The grant would be worth $25,000. About $20,000 of that amount would go toward the actual composter—called the Rocket Composter—while the bulk of rest would go toward educational programs that have to do with composting.

The township's Environmental Commission discussed the matter at a Township Committee meeting Thursday.

"It's seen as the next frontier in recycling and waste management," said Commission member Kathy Abbott.

The Rocket is made by Accelerated Compost and measured the length of a lunch table. It will be kept at the high school and will process food from all six public schools in Chatham.

The food will be trucked daily to the high school so it can be placed in the composter.

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

"It sounds like something that's a win-win," said Deputy Mayor Kevin Tubbs. "It's a win for the government. It's a win for the taxpayers."

The deadline for applying for the grant is July 1, and Commission member Patricia Collington said not many municipalities are applying for it. So township officials said they were optimistic about getting it.

"It's a model for the rest of the state," said Collington.