Dunellen becomes first NJ town to implement this aquatic pollution tool

The Green Brook between Dunellen and Green Brook will be cleaner and less polluted, thanks to a trash trap installed in the brook earlier this month.

Dunellen became the first municipality in New Jersey to install the Bandalong Bandit Litter Trap, designed by Stormwater Systems, which catches trash and debris that flows through the brook in a floating cage.

The May 19 ribbon-cutting ceremony, behind Jefferson Avenue in Green Brook, was attended by Dunellen Mayor Jason Cilento and Green Brook Mayor Jim Van Arsdale, along with officials from the state Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

“The installation of the Bandit Trash Trap is a testament to the Borough of Dunellen’s collective dedication and hard work to cleaning up our environment, and we are grateful for the opportunity to lead the way for future organizations through this pilot program,” Cilento said.

A grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service funded the project. The DEP, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Lower Raritan Watershed oversaw the project.

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“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 Jillian Stark, a biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The device will be maintained by the Dunellen Department of Public Works. The Lower Raritan Watershed Partnership will track how much litter and debris is caught.

Email: sdimaggio@mycentraljersey.com

Sal DiMaggio, a rising senior at Montclair State University, is an intern for mycentraljersey.com. To get unlimited access to his articles, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Dunellen is first NJ town to implement this aquatic pollution tool