The Department of Environmental Protection is now accepting applications for Section 902 recycling grants. Applications are due May 31. (PA Bulletin page 580)

Municipalities eligible for recycling grants include counties, cities, boroughs, incorporated towns, townships, home rule municipalities, councils of governments, consortiums, or similar entities established by two or more municipalities under 53 Pa.C.S. Chapter 23, Subchapter A.

            Municipalities are eligible for 90 percent funding of approved recycling program costs.  No application requesting more than $250,000 will be accepted.

            Priority will be given for funding--

-- Newly mandated municipalities based on the 2010 decennial census by the Bureau of the Census of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

-- Applicants proposing incentive-based pricing and collection programs designed to increase the quantities and types of recyclable materials and reduce the quantity of waste collected.

-- Applicants proposing multi-municipal collection, processing and/or materials marketing program where capital costs are reduced and/or recycling marketability is enhanced due to intergovernmental cooperation.

-- Applicants proposing new or expanded collection, education and outreach for commercial and institutional establishments, including school recycling programs. In addition, communities whose existing recycling programs contain the following components will receive additional consideration:

-- Municipally operated or municipal-contracted waste and recycling services that provide consistency and uniformity of the waste and recycling programs.

-- The collection of six or more of the following materials: newsprint, office paper, corrugated paper, other marketable grades of paper, aluminum cans, steel or bimetallic cans, colored glass containers, clear glass containers and plastics.

For more information, visit DEP’s Recycling Grants webpage.

1/28/2013