PolyGone Systems and ACUA Honored with Governor’s Environmental Excellence Award

PolyGone Systems and the Atlantic County Utilities Authority (ACUA) were honored with a Governor’s Environmental Excellence Award on Tuesday, December 9, 2025.

The 26^th annual awards program, administered by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), recognizes individuals, businesses, organizations and communities that make exceptional efforts to protect the environment and advance solutions across diverse environmental matters in New Jersey.

PolyGone and ACUA received the Watershed Management and Water Resources award for the microplastics removal project operating at the Authority’s wastewater treatment facility in Atlantic City, NJ.

Pictured from left: Deputy NJDEP Commissioner Kati Angarone, ACUA President Matthew DeNafo, PolyGone Co-Founder Yidian Liu, and I-Bank Executive Director David Zimmer.

The project, which opened in September 2024, is the world’s first municipal-scale microplastic removal system. The project uses a filtration system to capture microplastics from treated wastewater before it is released into the ocean. Since its opening, it has successfully captured millions of microplastic particles.

For more information on the awards program, visit https://dep.nj.gov/newsrel/25_0055/.

For more information on the project, visit www.polygonesystems.com or www.acua.com/microplastics.