More Than $2 Million Awarded to Recycling, Litter Programs
NDEE News
More Than $2 Million Awarded to Recycling, Litter Programs
Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality Acting Director Pat Rice has announced the awarding of $2,099,364 in 57 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. The program has been providing grants annually since 1979.
“The agency received many outstanding applications from across Nebraska,” Rice said. “These grant awards will support many important local efforts to recycle and protect our natural resources.”
Below is a summary of the three grant categories, and grant awards in each category for 2015. Following that summary is a table that lists all projects by city, and provides more details regarding the purpose of each grant.
Recycling Grant Awards
The recycling programs provide an alternative to the disposal of solid waste in Nebraska’s landfills. The programs recycle more than just aluminum, paper, glass, and plastic. Materials such as electronic computer components, paint, aerosol cans, fertilizer, pesticides, pharmaceutical items and household hazardous waste are collected and either reprocessed to be used again or are disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner. Recycling efforts that promote the purchase of recycled content products continue to receive priority for funding. NDEQ awarded 23 grants in the recycling category, totaling $1,176,580.
Cleanup Grant Awards
The cleanup programs utilize Nebraska residents of all ages to pick up litter and debris along Nebraska's highways, waterways, recreation lands, urban areas, and other public use areas within the state. Not only are the public areas improved through the removal of litter and debris, but also much of the material collected during the cleanups is recycled. The recycling proceeds are often utilized to benefit the respective programs. NDEQ awarded 15 grants in the cleanup category, totaling $97,938.
Public Education Awards
The Public Education programs educate citizens in the areas of litter reduction, cleanup, and recycling through a variety of individual and community activities. Priority is given to programs that promote markets for recycled materials or purchasing products made from recycled materials. NDEQ awarded 21 grants in the public education category, totaling $821,346.
Below is a table that lists grantees by city, and provides descriptions of the projects.
| 2015 Litter Reduction and Recycling Grants, by City | ||||
| City | Organization | Award Amount | Category | Project Description |
| Alliance | Keep Alliance Beautiful, Inc. | $56,450 | Education | Education for recycling and litter in Box Butte County and beyond. |
| Alliance | Keep Alliance Beautiful, Inc. | $76,243 | Recycling | Personnel and operating costs for recycling center. |
| Beatrice | Keep Beatrice Beautiful, Inc. | $8,636 | Cleanup | Cleanup of 100 miles and 20 acres, plus supplies. |
| Beatrice | Keep Beatrice Beautiful, Inc. | $42,872 | Education | Long-running program, including billboards, litter hotline newsletter, recycling and litter education. |
| Belvidere | Trailblazer Resource Conservation and Development | $23,925 | Recycling | Household hazardous waste collection events. |
| Burwell | Keep Loup Basin Beautiful/Loup Basin RC&D | $800 | Cleanup | Cleanup of 10 miles and 10 acres, plus supplies. |
| Burwell | Keep Loup Basin Beautiful/Loup Basin RC&D | $62,980 | Education | Age-specific KAB curriculum to children in over 60 communities in the area. |
| Chadron | Keep Chadron Beautiful | $6,132 | Cleanup | Cleanup of 100 miles. |
| Chadron | Keep Chadron Beautiful | $45,000 | Education | School presentations, liter free events, recycling and litter education. |
| Chadron | Keep Chadron Beautiful | $6,950 | Recycling | Electronic collection event. |
| Chadron | Solid Waste Agency of Northwest Nebraska | $85,500 | Recycling | Funds to chip over 45,000 cubic yards of wood waste caused by severe snow storms. |
| Columbus | Keep Columbus Beautiful, INC | $1,400 | Recycling | Supplies for Compact Fluorescent Light recycling |
| Fremont | Keep Fremont Beautiful, Inc. | $50,000 | Education | Education on recycling and litter. |
| Grand Island | Grand Island Area Clean Community Systems | $50,000 | Education | Education on recycling and litter in schools and other organizations and citizens. Bilingual materials are provided. |
| Holdrege | City of Holdrege | $12,952 | Recycling | Purchase of plastic granulator and conveyor for the City of Holdrege. |
| Imperial | Dwight Coleman | $10,086 | Recycling | Utilize used cooking oil to produce biodiesel fuel. |
| Kimball | Keep Kimball Beautiful | $23,439 | Education | Education on recycling, waste management, and litter reduction for Kimball County |
| Kimball | Keep Kimball Beautiful | $68,945 | Recycling | Operating expenses for Kimball County recycling center. |
| Lexington | Keep Lexington Beautiful | $4,350 | Cleanup | Cleanup of 80 miles and 35 acres in the City of Lexington. |
| Lexington | Keep Lexington Beautiful | $30,000 | Education | Education on recycling and litter. They plan to expand their program cover the whole county. |
| Lincoln | Lancaster County Engineering Department | $5,000 | Cleanup | Lancaster County adopt-a-highway program. |
| Lincoln | Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department | $19,000 | Cleanup | Cleanup of 320 miles and 300 acres. |
| Lincoln | Lincoln Children's Museum | $5,150 | Education | Develop recycling program and use recycled materials in Halloween costumes. |
| Lincoln | Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department | $60,000 | Education | School presentations, cigarette butt receptacle placement, education on litter and recycling. |
| Lincoln | Nebraska Farmers Union | $26,850 | Recycling | Vermicomposting project utilizing food scraps from Lincoln Public Schools. |
| Lincoln | Solid Waste Management | $41,883 | Recycling | Recycling containers for parks and sports fields. |
| Lincoln | WasteCap Nebraska | $121,000 | Recycling | Facilitate business recycling, zero waste activities, webinars, waste audits and other administrative costs. |
| Louisville | Keep Cass County Beautiful | $45,000 | Education | School presentations in Cass County, recycling and litter education. Partners with youth organizations. |
| Lyons | City of Lyons | $75,670 | Recycling | Plastic baler for the City of Lyons recycling program. |
| Nebraska City | Nebraska City Utilities | $130,000 | Recycling | Equipment to clear right-of-way beneath utility lines. The trees and brush that are cut will be left in place. |
| Norfolk | Keep Norfolk Beautiful | $20,358 | Education | Recycling and litter education, litter-free events, and water education. |
| North Platte | Keep North Platte and Lincoln County Beautiful | $16,000 | Cleanup | Cleanup of 320 miles, plus labor |
| North Platte | Keep North Platte and Lincoln County Beautiful | $53,051 | Education | Recycling and litter education. |
| North Platte | All Business & Commercial Recycling, LLC | $14,500 | Recycling | Recycling containers for plastics to be used by North Platte businesses. |
| North Platte | Keep North Platte and Lincoln County Beautiful | $46,716 | Recycling | Funds for personnel and operating expenses for the North Platte/Lincoln County recycling program. |
| Ogallala | Keep Keith County Beautiful | $6,500 | Recycling | Household hazardous waste collection and paper shredding events. |
| Ogallala | Keep Keith County Beautiful | $2,250 | Cleanup | Cleanup of 45 miles in Keith County. |
| Ogallala | Keep Keith County Beautiful | $40,000 | Education | Recycling, recycling and litter education in schools and with visitors to the area. |
| Omaha | Keep Omaha Beautiful Inc | $17,150 | Cleanup | Manage volunteers for all city park and trail cleanups. |
| Omaha | Keep Omaha Beautiful | $61,400 | Education | Adopt-a-Block, bilingual educational brochures, school presentations, and other educational programs. |
| Omaha | Angels on Wheels | $50,000 | Recycling | Electronic collection events with refurbishing of some appliances and computers. |
| Omaha | Green Recycling Enterprises, LLC | $71,045 | Recycling | Away-from-home recycling program. |
| Schuyler | Keep Schuyler Beautiful | $400 | Cleanup | Cleanup of 8 miles. |
| Schuyler | Keep Schuyler Beautiful | $18,950 | Education | Education on recycling, litter and household hazardous waste. |
| Schuyler | Keep Schuyler Beautiful | $35,675 | Recycling | Personnel and operating expenses of the Colfax County Recycling Facility. |
| Scottsbluff | Keep Scottsbluff-Gering Beautiful | $10,000 | Cleanup | Cleanup of 160 miles and related personnel expenses. |
| Scottsbluff | Keep Scottsbluff-Gering Beautiful | $40,000 | Education | Education on litter, recycling and household hazardous waste. Christmas tree recycling program. |
| Scottsbluff | North Platte Natural Resources District | $10,000 | Education | Recycling education. Recycling containers furnished to citizens of rural areas of the NRD area. |
| Sidney | Keep Sidney Beautiful | $39,774 | Education | Recycling and litter education, partnerships with business, social media use. |
| South Sioux City | City of South Sioux City | $3,170 | Cleanup | Cleanup of 317 acres. |
| South Sioux City | Keep Northeast Nebraska Beautiful | $36,980 | Education | Large 11-county area. Recycling and litter education programs. |
| Statewide | Product Stewardship Institute | $29,942 | Education | The institute programs are open to all municipalities in Nebraska. Promotes Product Stewardship principles for all material, concentrating on paint, thermostats, pharmaceuticals and e-waste. |
| Steinauer | Steinauer Community Club | $1,050 | Cleanup | Cleanup of 21 miles. |
| Tekamah | Papio Missouri River NRD | $8,000 | Recycling | Electronic collection event. |
| Valentine | Middle Niobrara NRD | $200,212 | Recycling | Equipment and expenses to remove and process Cedar trees to reduce the fuel source and fire danger in forests. |
| Wakefield | ESU#1 | $4,000 | Cleanup | Cleanup of 20 miles and 300 acres. |
| Wisner | City of Wisner | $40,570 | Recycling | Shredder for tree trimming. |
| York | Four Corners Health Department | $21,958 | Recycling | Household hazardous waste collection in Seward and York Counties. |