Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality Director Mike Linder today announced the awarding of $1,442,902 in grants for waste reduction and recycling projects. The grants are available through the Waste Reduction and Recycling Incentive Grant Fund. This fund is generated by a fee on solid waste disposed of in landfills (disposal fee), an annual retail business sales fee (business fee), and a fee assessed on the sale of new tires for motor vehicles (tire fee). Tire fee grants totaling $1 million for projects related to tire recycling were previously announced in June.

Examples of 2010 grant recipients include:
 

Prairieland Resource Conservation and Development was awarded $6,450 for a used electronics collection event scheduled for early August at the Madison County Fairgrounds. The project is designed to enable the collection of 30,000 pounds of electronics from the six county area served by Prairieland RC&D.

The Southwest Nebraska Solid Waste Agency has been awarded $92,995 for the purchase of a new horizontal self-tying baler. The baler will be used in the recycling facility in Imperial and will replace an older manual-tie baler in use since the early 1990s. It will be used to bale paper, cardboard, newspaper and steel cans. The Southwest Nebraska Solid Waste Agency operates through an interlocal agreement between Chase County and the City of Imperial.

David City Public Schools were awarded $12,432 to purchase recycling equipment. Two trailers and 10 recycling bins will be used to recycle paper, plastic and aluminum at all three school buildings. A public education component is included which will help educate students, staff and parents on the importance of recycling.

The Nebraska Center for Sustainable Construction was awarded $88,200 to establish a new green design center within the existing EcoStores Nebraska building in Lincoln. The grant will begin to provide for the establishment of commercially leased space dedicated exclusively to green products and green services providers.

Below is a list of all 2010 grants awarded in the business fee and disposal fee categories:

BUSINESS FEE - $423,075 was awarded to 13 individuals and public, private, or non-profit organizations.
 

• Gretna Sanitation, Inc. (Gretna), $65,029, to purchase a pull-type compost turner and 600 poly carts.
• Horizon Biofuels, Inc. (Fremont), $94,715, to purchase a portable horizontal grinder to grind over-sized wood pallets, and to purchase six roll-off containers used to transport and store the materials.
• Keep Keith County Beautiful (Ogallala), $5,876 for a household hazardous waste collection event for residents of Keith County and the surrounding area.
• Keep Kimball Beautiful, $12,273, for operating costs to maintain Keep Kimball Beautiful and their recycling program.
• Keep North Platte-Lincoln County Beautiful, $23,989 to implement a strong waste reduction and recycling program in the community based on Keep America Beautiful's "Waste in the Workplace" program.
• Keep Omaha Beautiful, $9,460, for an Alleycat trailer for special events.
• Lincoln Public Schools Foundation, $35,059 to continue the LPS Recycling Coordinator position for one year, maintain waste stream database, track refuse and recycling, expand the volume and variety of materials recycled at LPS schools, broaden knowledge of recycling and waste reduction to students, involve special education students and curriculum in collecting and sorting of materials, and provide interior recycling collection containers for classrooms and offices, as well as signage for exterior recycling collection locations.
• Nebraska Center for sustainable Construction, $88,200 for a one-year grant to establish a green design center which would include services and products for green construction in one location. The Center would also be a location for courses presented in various formats.
• Nebraska Loess Hills RC&D (Oakland), $2,400 for one electronics waste collection event for residents of Dakota, Thurston, Burt, Washington, Dodge and Cuming Counties. Collection includes computers and peripherals, televisions and microwave ovens.
• North Central Nebraska RC&D Council (Bassett), $4,300 to collect and dispose of electronic waste in the six-county service area.
• PrairieLand RC&D Council (Madison), $6,450 for funding for an e-waste event designed to collect e-waste from the six-county service area.
• Shred Monster, Inc. (Columbus), $55,324 for funding to purchase a large multi-material baler.
• WasteCap Nebraska (Lincoln), $20,000, for development of the Green Ambassadors Program, in which trained college students deliver pre-approved environmental messages across the state.

DISPOSAL FEE - $1,019,827 was awarded to 14 counties, municipalities, and agencies. Funding is available to political subdivisions only.
 

• City of Hay Springs, $25,955 for a contract to have concrete crushed for the City of Hay Springs. Aggregate will be used to fill mud holes, reapplication on established roads, maintenance of alleys and landscaping.
• City of Omaha, $292,000 for a one year grant for personnel expenses for Under-The-Sink household hazardous waste facility.
• David City Public Schools, $12,432 to purchase two trailers and recycling bins.
• Lexington Area Solid Waste Agency, $24,761 to hold seven household hazardous waste collection events.
• Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Dept, $58,925 for six mobile household hazardous waste collection events and three usable latex paint exchanges. Grant funds are not to be used for contracting with an environmental consulting firm to perform an evaluative study of a potential site for a regional permanent hazardous waste facility for households and small businesses.
• Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Dept, $37,400, for public education to train in the use of non toxic products, promote re-use or sharing of products and encouraging recycling. Also develop a comprehensive electronic "Hazard-free Home Handbook."
• Nebraska Public Power District (Columbus), $200,000 for the third year of a three-year grant project, used for replacing and recycling old refrigerators.
• Omaha Public Power District, $86,000 for a one year grant for funds to replace and recycle old refrigerators and freezers.
• Red Willow County (McCook), $108,842 for operating expenses for household hazardous facility and household hazardous waste collection events.
• Solid Waste Agency of Northwest Nebraska (Chadron), $46,000 for a contract to crush 20,000 tons of concrete and use the aggregate for road base, filling mud holes, reapplication on established roads, maintenance of parking lots and around buildings and facilities.
• Southwest Nebraska Solid Waste Agency (Imperial), $92,995 to purchase a new horizontal baler to help in recycling.
• State of Nebraska, Department of Roads (Lincoln), $27,040 for a Screen Cleaning Machine for the NDOR Sign Shop (Traffic Engineering).
• Village of Lodgepole, $7,000 to purchase two 30-yard rolloffs with dividers for recycling in the Village of Lodgepole.
• Village of Union, $477 to purchase home recycling bins, and for recycling educational material.