Grant applications for the 2020 Waste Reduction and Recycling Incentive, Scrap Tire, and Litter Reduction and Recycling programs can be submitted between July 3 and Aug. 14, 2019 (4 p.m. Central Daylight Time). Grant applications for the 2020 grant term dealing with the reuse or recycling of materials from flood-related cleanup work will be given priority consideration.

Beginning with 2020, the application and award dates for these three programs have been aligned to a calendar year. The grant term will be Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2020. Grant decisions will be announced in December 2019.

The application guidance has been updated to reflect a change in personnel reimbursement. See the updated version of this guidance at /forms/publications-grants-forms/was075.

Information and guidance on how to apply can be found at the following address: /forms/publications-grants-forms/was066

Eligible grant projects include, but are not limited to:

Waste Reduction and Recycling Incentive Grants

• Recycling systems and equipment – Equipment used in integrated solid waste programs and projects, such as balers, shredders and densifiers;
• Food and yard waste composting – Brush chippers, tub grinders, compost turners and compost screens;
• Household hazardous waste, electronic waste, and pharmaceutical collection events and school lab chemical clean-ups;
• Market development for recycled materials; and
• Deconstruction of abandoned buildings (available to cities or counties with a population of 5,000 or less).

Scrap Tire Grants

• 50% reimbursement of crumb rubber for rubber modified asphalt, manufacturing, landscaping or playground mulch;
• 25% reimbursement of mats, tiles or poured-in-place playground surfaces, athletic tracks and artificial turf fields;
• 100% reimbursement of the cost of scrap tire cleanup events (available to political subdivisions, only);
• 50% reimbursement of capital costs for processing, manufacturing, collecting and transporting scrap tires; and
• Cost-sharing for civil engineering uses ($20/ton).

Litter Reduction and Recycling Grants

• Public Education – Funding to promote recycling and litter reduction awareness through educational activities and programs
• Cleanup – Funding for cleanup activities on public spaces and roadways
• Recycling – Funding for equipment and operating expenses

Illegal Dumpsite Cleanup Program

• Available year-round to political subdivisions for illegal dumpsites along a road right-of-way. There are no deadlines for application.

For more information about these grants, or to discuss a project, contact:

• Waste Reduction and Recycling Incentive Grants – (402) 471-3457
• Scrap Tire Grants – (402) 471-2480
• Litter Reduction and Recycling Grants – (402) 471-4242
• Roadside Clean-up and Illegal Dumpsite Clean-up Grants – (402) 471-2436

For questions on other grant programs offered through the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality, email ndeq.wastegrants@nebraska.gov.