The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) has officially kicked off one of the largest coordinated environmental safety programs in U.S. history, aimed at collecting and permanently destroying over 150,000 gallons of firefighting foam containing toxic PFAS.
The initiative, announced March 20, targets aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF)—a substance historically used to combat fuel-based fires at New Jersey’s many airports, industrial sites, and transit corridors. Known as “forever chemicals,” PFAS are linked to cancer and immune system complications and do not break down naturally in the environment.
To manage the massive undertaking, the NJDEP has partnered with Revive Environmental as the prime contractor, with Republic Services providing end-to-end logistics, transportation, and storage. The program invites fire departments and academies from all 21 counties to surrender their AFFF stocks for specialized destruction.
“The DEP is delivering on one of the Sherrill Administration’s environmental priorities to mitigate harmful PFAS, keeping them out of the environment and avoiding the extremely high cost of cleanup down the road,” NJDEP Acting Commissioner Ed Potosnak said during a media event at a regional collection site in Hunterdon County.
Traditional disposal methods often fail to fully break down PFAS molecules. New Jersey’s program utilizes Revive’s proprietary PFAS Annihilator® technology, located at a permitted facility in Columbus, Ohio.
The process uses supercritical water oxidation (SCWO) to break the incredibly strong chemical bonds of the PFAS compounds, converting the hazardous material into benign, mineralized byproducts.
“NJDEP is setting the standard for statewide PFAS action,” Rick Gillespie, CEO of Revive Environmental said. “Some of the most meaningful moments in my career have been sitting with firefighters and their families and hearing what it means to finally have this foam out of their stations.”
For New Jersey’s first responders, the program is as much about health as it is about environmental compliance. By removing the concentrated foam from local firehouses, the state is actively reducing the primary source of PFAS exposure for firefighters.
Julia Arambula, senior viice president of operations at Republic Services, noted that the collaboration provides a “seamless solution” for a complex problem, allowing local departments to focus on safety rather than the technical burdens of hazardous waste management.
As other states grapple with the rising costs of PFAS contamination in groundwater and soil, New Jersey’s proactive, large-scale collection model is expected to serve as a national blueprint for “forever chemical” mitigation.
