Locals to be Honored at Recycling Awards Dinner in April

Several Morristown and Morris Township residents, organizations, even one diligent Patch freelancer will be honored at the Morris County Municipal Utilities Authority Recycling Awards Dinner in April.

The event, tited "Food for Thought: The Past, the Present and the Future of Recycling," was originally scheduled for Nov. 2, but had to be postponed due to Superstorm Sandy. It will now be held April 17, 2013, at the Hanover Manor, 16 Eagle Rock Ave. in East Hanover, starting at 6:30 p.m.

The MUA uses the event to honor businesses, individuals, schools and other
organizations for their contributions toward waste reduction, reuse, recycling and litter abatement.

Among the award recipients for this event are Pastor Sidney Williams, of Morristown's Bethel A.M.E. Church, for "the leadership he provided for a spring 2012 cleanup of the Whippany River." He will receive the "Cleanup Superstar" award.

The "Hy Nadel Creativity Award" will go to Ted Largman, a Morris Township resident, retired chemist, patent holder and member of the Morris Township Environmental Commission. Also an artist, Largman uses “found” objects in his works.

The Maraziti, Falcon & Healey Environmental Excellence Scholarship will be presented by representatives of that firm to Nayna Shah, a Morris Plains resident and senior at Morristown High School.

Also receiving honors will be several former journalists for The Star-Ledger and Daily Record, including . The "Extra, Extra! Read All About It!" award will be presented to Daigle, Fred Snowflack—also formerly of the Daily Record—and to Larry Ragonese, formerly of The Star-Ledger, "for all of the energy they devoted to writing about recycling and related issues when they were covering Morris County for the aforementioned newspapers."

Awards also will be issued to Novartis Pharmaceuticals in East Hanover; the School District of the Chathams; the Mendham Township Elementary School; the Mount Arlington Public School; Michael Petonak, superintendent of public works in Boonton; and the Chatham Township Environmental Commission.

Tickets for the dinner, which begins with a cash bar cocktail hour at 6:30 p.m., are $40 per person. To purchase tickets or for more information, call 973-285-8395.