DEP Awards $1.2 Million To Increase Use of Recyclable Materials in Finished Products

The Department of Environmental Protection this week announced four Pennsylvania companies will receive $1.2 million in financial assistance to increase their use of recycled materials in the production of finished goods.

Recycling Market Infrastructure Development grants enable companies to invest in their own operations, contribute to the growing recycling industry in Pennsylvania and at the same time help improve the overall business and economic climates in the Commonwealth.

“Recycling plays an important role in managing the waste we generate,” said Gov. Rendell. “It reduces the amount of material that is sent to landfills and incinerators for disposal. But it does much more than that. To truly complete the recycling process and make it work to everyone’s advantage, we must also reuse our recycled materials more efficiently.”

The reimbursement grants are awarded to businesses and nonprofit organizations that manufacture a product or reuse an existing product with recyclable material from Pennsylvania. Entities that want to begin using recyclable material are also eligible. Grants of up to $500,000 are available for any single recycling infrastructure development project.

“Our goals are to build strong markets for recycled materials in Pennsylvania and increase the use of recyclable materials in the production of finished products,” said Gov. Rendell. “We realize that by putting our recycled materials to better use, these companies will help generate economic growth and opportunities for themselves and others. Recycling makes good business sense because it saves our resources, saves energy, and reduces pollution which makes for a cleaner and safer environment.”

According to the 2009 Recycling Economic Impact Study completed by the Northeast Recycling Council, Pennsylvania has approximately 3,800 recycling and reuse establishments and 52,000 Pennsylvanians employed in recycling, reuse, or remanufacturing operations. These businesses have an annual Pennsylvania payroll of approximately $2.2 billion and sales receipts of approximately $20.5 billion.

A list of grants awarded is available online.