The Department of Environmental Protection announced Saturday it is now accepting applications for Section 902 recycling grants.  The deadline for applications is August 15.  (formal notice)

The following will receive priority for funding:

— Newly mandated municipalities based on the 2010 decennial census by the Bureau of the Census of the United States 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 multimunicipal collection, processing or a materials marketing program where capital costs are reduced or a recycling marketability is enhanced due to intergovernmental cooperation, or both.

— 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 or contact Mark Vottero, Recycling Grants Coordinator, Department of Environmental Protection, Rachel Carson State Office Building, Bureau of Waste Management, Division of Waste Minimization and Planning, P. O. Box 8472, Harrisburg, PA 17105-8472 or send email to: mvottero@pa.gov.

5/5/2014