Delaware to award $1M in recycling grants to schools, businesses

Dive Brief:

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) and the Recycling Public Advisory Council are awarding up to $1 million to the state’s businesses, schools, and other institutions for new or established recycling programs. The Universal Recycling Grants and Low Interest Loan Program will support projects such as distribution of recycling information where recoverable materials are used and thrown away; recycling advertising and education; development of infrastructure to facilitate separation of food waste; and business, nonprofit, community organization, or local government recycling programs.
The funding aims to help businesses and organizations double commercial recycling and achieve statewide goals set in Gov. Jack Markell’s Universal Recycling initiative, according to Recycling Today.
There will be two grant rounds in 2016, one which runs through June 22 and one from Aug. 17 through Nov. 2, with recipients announced in August and December, respectively. Applicants need not be recycling professionals.

Dive Insight:

The Recycling Grant and Low Interest Loan program, established in 2011 by Delaware’s Universal Recycling law, is meant to help schools and businesses improve their bottom line while reducing their carbon footprint. The state’s recycling rates have expanded significantly since then.

But the state has progress to make before all communities are on board. One Delaware recycler recently warned it may close because of the volume of people that were illegally dumping huge quantities of waste at the facility.

"[Universal Recycling] has shown that we can cost-effectively reduce the amount of waste dumped in landfills and be good stewards of our environment while promoting economic growth, and it’s important that we continue to build on that effort," said Markell, as reported in Recycling Today.

Other states are working to accomplish the same, particularly promoting recycling in the school setting.

"We’re now closer to another goal—of every Delawarean having access to recycling at home, at work, at school, and making recycling a way of life in the First State," said DNREC Secretary David Small, as reported in Recycling Today.