The Department of Environmental Quality’s Recycling Program recently provided $665,630 in recycling business development grants to 20 North Carolina recycling companies. The grants are projected to create 61 jobs and generate more than $2 million in new, private business investments while reducing the state’s dependence on landfill disposal.
“Recycling businesses are valuable contributors to North Carolina’s long-term economic development while working toward a cleaner, more sustainable environment,” said Jamie Ragan, director of the Division of Environmental Assistance and Customer Service. “The projects funded by these grants will create jobs and redirect recyclables back into the economy, thereby diverting materials from the waste stream.”
The recycling business grantees are from 16 counties, representing both large and small companies. Types of grant projects awarded include upgrades to material recovery facilities, expanding end-product manufacturing capacity for mixed paper and plastics, and increasing recycling processing for a variety of other materials.
For the third year in a row, the division gave priority to projects that improve North Carolina’s capacity to domestically process and use mixed paper and non-bottle plastics. By prioritizing projects that strengthen local markets, the state Recycling Program is working to keep valuable materials in-state and decrease reliance on foreign buyers.
Grants are offered each year, depending on funding availability, to reduce the flow of solid waste into landfills and strengthen the state’s recycling economy. Recipients are required to provide a minimum cash match of 50 percent of the grant award; however, the level of private investment in 2020 is expected to more than triple the total grant funding. The combination of grant and private dollars will result in a more than $2.7 million investment in the state’s recycling infrastructure while supporting the local economy.