Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality Director Mike Linder has announced the awarding of $1,728,655 in 74 grants for litter cleanup, recycling, and public education programs and activities. Funds for the Litter Reduction and Recycling Grant Program are generated from a fee charged to certain manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers of products that commonly contribute to litter.

“Once again, the department received applications from many outstanding projects from across the state,” Linder said. “Local programs and communities are essential to the state’s efforts to promote litter reduction and recycling.”

Examples of this year’s projects include:

Keep Beatrice Beautiful was awarded a total of $43,716 in three separate grants. $8,000 was awarded to fund an electronics and pharmaceutical collection event where citizens can bring in old unwanted electronic items and expired or unwanted pharmaceuticals at no charge. $32,746 was awarded to continue their public education activities to help the citizens of Beatrice and Gage County become more involved in enhancing their community environment. $2,970 was awarded to continue and expand the Litter Hotline Project originally begun in Douglas and Lancaster Counties.

The Southwest Nebraska Public Health Department was awarded $10,699 to conduct eight electronic collection events in an eight county region. One collection event each will be held in Furnas, Frontier, Red Willow, Hayes, Hitchcock, Perkins, Dundy and Chase Counties. Electronic collection events are especially important now as many old televisions will no longer be able to receive newer digital broadcast signals unless hooked up to cable or modified in some manner.

U.S. GreenFiber, Inc. was awarded $190,000 to expand recycling in the Norfolk area. U.S. GreenFiber processes many tons of various grades of recycled paper into building insulation in its facility in Norfolk. The company will also start collecting plastic and steel cans due to demand for the service and will increase efforts to capture more paper in a radius of 60 miles around Norfolk.

The City of Allen was awarded $16,845 to purchase a compartmentalized trailer for recyclables. The trailer will be hauled to a processor periodically when it is filled. This process provides no-cost recycling services to citizens at minimal cost to the city.

U.S. Recyclers, Inc. was awarded $30,000 to furnish containers for cardboard and other recyclables in the communities of Van’s Lakeview, Roscoe, Keystone and Lewellen. Citizens in these communities will now be able to bring their recyclables to these containers and have them hauled to a processor rather than having them landfilled.

Below is a listing of all grantees for 2009.

Recycling Grant Awards: City of Allen, Allen, $16,845.00; City of Creighton, Creighton, $7,600.; City of Omaha, Omaha, $20,645.00; City of Osceola, Osceola, $12,229.00; City of Tekamah, Tekamah, $22,125.00; City of Tekamah, Tekamah, $6,156.00; Custer County Recycling Center, Broken Bow, $19,666.00; Friends of Heron Haven, Omaha, $9,049.00; Goodwill Industries Serving Southeast Nebraska, Inc., Lincoln, $7,240.00; Grand Island Area Clean Community System, Grand Island, $35,000.00; Habitat for Humanity of Omaha, Omaha, $50,665.00; Keep Alliance Beautiful, Alliance, $25,000.00; Keep Beatrice Beautiful, Beatrice, $8,000.00; Keep Chadron Beautiful, Chadron, $3,861.00; Keep Columbus Beautiful, Columbus, $9,075.00; Keep Fremont Beautiful, Fremont, $18,000.00; Keep Kimball Beautiful, Kimball, $15,000.00; Keep Schuyler Beautiful, Schuyler, $5,000.00; Keep Schuyler Beautiful, Schuyler, $27,000.00; Keep Scottsbluff-Gering Beautiful, Scottsbluff, $30,000.00; Lancaster County, Lincoln, $4,258.00; Lincoln Action Program, Inc., Lincoln, $40,000.00; Lower Big Blue Natural Resources District, Beatrice, $10,000.00; Midland Recycling, Lincoln, $39,000.; Nemaha Natural Resources District, Tecumseh, $15,000.00; North Central Nebraska RC&D Council, Bassett, $5,000.00; Nebraska RC&D Council, Inc., Plainview, $8,000.00; Nucor Corporation, Norfolk, $5,000.00; Odell Area Community Enrichment (OACE), Odell, $9,295.00; Public Health Solutions District Health Department, Crete, $12,780.00; Shred Monster, Inc., Columbus, $80,213.00; Southwest Nebraska Public Health Department, McCook, $10,699.00; Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, Lincoln, $6,100.00; TechWare Recycling, Inc., Lincoln, $50,000.00; U.S. GreenFiber, Inc, Norfolk, $190,000.00; U.S. Recyclers, Inc., Ogallala, $30,000.00; Village of Bertrand, Bertrand, $6,647.00; Village of Verdigre, Verdigre, $9,000.00; WasteCap Nebraska, Lincoln, $131,638.00.


Cleanup Grant Awards: Alexandria Community Club, Alexandria, $1,000.00; East Central District Health Department, Columbus, $2,000.00; Grand Island Area Clean Community System, Grand Island, $7,000.00; Keep Alliance Beautiful, Alliance, $6,000.00; Keep Beatrice Beautiful, Beatrice, $7,500.00; Keep Chadron Beautiful, Chadron, $3,500.00; Keep Keith County Beautiful, Ogallala, $1,500.00; Keep Lincoln-Lancaster County Beautiful, Lincoln, $8,000.00; Keep North Platte-Lincoln County Beautiful, North Platte, $15,000.00; Keep Omaha Beautiful, Omaha, $16,000.00; Keep Schuyler Beautiful, Schuyler, $700.00; Keep Scottsbluff-Gering Beautiful, Scottsbluff, $15,000.00; City Boys and Girls Ball Association, Pawnee City, $605.00; Steinauer Community Club, Steinauer, $1,250.00


Public Education Grant Awards: Grand Island Area Clean Community System, Grand Island, $42,000.00; Groundwater Foundation, Lincoln, $2,000.00; Keep Alliance Beautiful, Alliance, $44,000.00; Keep Beatrice Beautiful, Beatrice, $31,000.00; Keep Beatrice Beautiful, Beatrice, $2,970.00; Keep Chadron Beautiful, Chadron, $36,000.00; Keep Columbus Beautiful, Columbus, $26,000.00; Keep Fremont Beautiful, Fremont, $49,000.00; Keep Keith County Beautiful, Ogallala, $35,000.00; Keep Kimball Beautiful, Kimball, $10,000.00; Keep Lexington Beautiful, Lexington, $16,000.00; Keep Lincoln-Lancaster County Beautiful, Lincoln, $43,000.00; Keep Norfolk Beautiful - NCIC, Norfolk, $17,000.00; Keep North Platte-Lincoln County Beautiful, North Platte, $53,000.00; Keep Northeast Nebraska Beautiful, South Sioux City, $21,000.00; Keep Omaha Beautiful, Omaha, $60,000.00; Keep Schuyler Beautiful, Schuyler, $21,000.00; Keep Scottsbluff-Gering Beautiful, Scottsbluff, $58,000.00; Keep Sidney Beautiful, Sidney, $26,000.00; Loup Basin RC & D Council, Ord, $32,000.00; Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, Lincoln, $7,844.00.

 

NOTE: The table below, LRRP TABLE, lists grantees by town, and contains a description of what the grants will be used for.