DEP Awards Over $26.8 Million In Recycling Grants To 127 Municipalities; Applications Now Being Accepted For New Grant Round Just When Recycling Funding Cut $50 Million

Note: The pending FY 2020-21 budget due to be finalized today would take $50 million from the Recycling Fund and use it to balance the state budget and would not be available to pay grants.

On November 21, the Department of Environmental Protection announced the award of $26.8 million in Section 902 recycling grants to 127 municipalities to pay for 90 percent of the costs of community recycling programs.

Click Here for a list of grants awarded.

New Grant Round

DEP also announced it is now accepting applications for 2021 Section 902 recycling grants to support local recycling programs through January 29. (formal notice)

The following elements will receive priority for funding:

-- Development and implementation of an organics collection or management program, or both.

-- Development and implementation of incentive-based pricing and collection programs designed to increase the quantities and types of recyclable materials and reduce the quantity of waste collected.

-- Development and implementation of multimunicipal collection, processing or a materials marketing program, or both where capital costs are reduced or recycling marketability is enhanced, or both due to intergovernmental cooperation.

-- Municipal recycling programs that will develop and implement methods of collection and processing of recyclable materials through source-separation, dual-stream or commingled practices. The applicant must demonstrate that these recyclable materials have value and greater marketability.

-- New and innovative recycling educational programs that support the applicants' recycling collection efforts.

In addition, communities whose existing recycling programs contain the following components will receive additional consideration:

-- Publicly provided or municipally contracted waste and recycling services.

-- The collection of six or more of the following materials: newsprint, office paper, corrugated paper, other marketable grades of paper, aluminum cans, steel or bimetallic cans, colored glass containers, clear glass containers and plastics.

-- Municipal recycling programs that are currently collecting and processing recyclable materials through source-separation, dual-stream or commingled practices. The applicant must demonstrate that these recyclable materials have value and greater marketability.

-- Incentive-based pricing and collection programs designed to increase the quantities and types of recyclable materials and reduce the quantity of waste collected.

For more information, visit DEP’s Recycling Grants webpage.  Questions should be directed to Mark Vottero, mvottero@pa.gov or 717-772-5719.

[Posted: November 20, 2020]  PA Environment Digest