Courtesy photo
Groundbreaking River Cleanup Effort Celebrated
Township of Green Brook
On Sunday, May 19, 2024, an official ceremony was held in Green Brook to celebrate the installation of the Bandalong Bandit Litter Trap in the Green Brook at the end of Jefferson Avenue. The Bandalong Bandit Litter Trap, which is the first of its kind in the State of New Jersey, catches any debris and waste that flows through the section of the brook, reducing pollution and aiding cleanup efforts. The pilot program was made possible through a grant from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, which fully funded the project, in addition to partners including the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Lower Raritan Watershed Partnership (LRWP) and the Borough of Dunellen.
“The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is thrilled to see this project be implemented because it will improve aquatic habitat by way of an innovative method, with this being the first in-stream litter trap in the State of New Jersey. Removing floatable trash will benefit fish and wildlife through plastic and microplastic pollution reduction in the Green Brook and all the way out to Raritan Bay and the Atlantic Ocean,” said Fish & Wildlife Biologist Jillian Stark of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The ceremony began with remarks from LRWP Board President and de facto Executive Director Heather Fenyk, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Biologist Jillian Stark, Dunellen Mayor Jason F. Cilento, and Green Brook Mayor Jim Van Arsdale. The ribbon-cutting ceremony was concluded with live demonstration of the litter trap by the Dunellen Department of Public Works (DPW), who installed the trap with Storm Water Systems. The trap will be maintained by Dunellen DPW, with assistance from Green Brook DPW. LRWP will be charting all debris cleanup data for further analysis.
