Nearly 160 county and municipal governments will be getting a boost to their recycling and leaf-collection programs this year, thanks to $30.5 million in Recycling Development and Implementation Grants from the Wolf Administration. Grants were awarded to 157 county and municipal governments for recycling collections and education, as well as leaf litter pickup. “These grants help bolster recycling in communities all over Pennsylvania and reduce the amount of waste going into our landfills,” said DEP Secretary Patrick McDonnell. “Whether it’s from increased education for residents or an entire facility for sorting recyclables, these grants are making a difference.”
Many of the grants are for community leaf collection programs. Leaf litter cannot be sent to landfills, and many municipalities prohibit open burning. “Composting leaf waste from residential areas is safer and more environmentally friendly than burning leaves, which causes air pollution,” McDonnell said. Pennsylvanians recycle approximately 6 million tons of materials per year. These materials are reintroduced into the manufacturing process, saving valuable resources, creating jobs and other economic benefits, and realizing vital environmental benefits.
Based on the 2017 Recycling Economic Impact Study, over 66,000 people are employed directly in the recycling marketplace, while nearly 110,000 others work via indirect or induced recycling-related jobs. Recycling adds $22.6 billion to Pennsylvania’s state product. Recycling also is important to the commonwealth’s climate-change initiatives: nearly 10 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions are avoided each year. This is equivalent to removing 2.15 million cars (or approximately 25%) from Pennsylvania’s roads annually.
Through the grant program, municipalities and counties in Pennsylvania are eligible for up to 90 % funding of approved recycling program costs. Municipalities that are designated financially distressed under the Financial Distressed Communities Act are eligible to receive funding for an additional 10 % of approved costs. Grants were also awarded based on programs designed to meet current market demands for recyclable goods.
Examples of eligible projects include operating leaf compost facilities, developing web-based programs on recycling for consumers, expanding recycling processing facilities, installing data collection systems on recycling vehicles, continuing and creating curbside recycling programs, and developing educational materials to encourage residents to properly recycle.
The grants align with Governor Wolf’s Litter Action Plan, an initiative that seeks to not only clean up litter across the commonwealth, but to prevent littering from taking place. The Litter Action Plan was developed after a comprehensive state study by DEP and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) with a focus on changing littering behavior.
In addition to examples and suggestions for the General Assembly, local governments, businesses, and the public, the study report outlined 16 recommendations for the commonwealth, including DEP’s current work to provide convenient and affordable access to waste disposal and recycling services in rural areas of Pennsylvania where trash collection and recycling services are currently not economically feasible. DEP announces the grants under Section 902 of the Municipal Waste Planning, Recycling and Waste Reduction Act.