Two coastal recycling businesses received grants from the state Department of Environmental Quality’s Recycling Program. The $511,000 in recycling business development grants were dispersed to 17 North Carolina recycling companies expected to create 38 jobs and generate more than $1.3 million in new, private business investments while reducing the state’s dependence on landfill disposal, according to the release.
Hatteras Recycle in Dare County received $40,000 to purchase a walking floor trailer, cab and chassis to ship curbside recyclables more efficiently and Sonoco Recycling – New Hanover County received $40,000 to create a larger sort line metering bin to better manage incoming volume and to increase recycling processing capacity. Grants were also given to both large and small recycling businesses located in Buncombe, Randolph, Durham, Henderson, McDowell, Cumberland, Wake, Rockingham, Gaston, Sampson and Catawba counties.
“Recycling businesses provide high quality jobs for North Carolinians, spur economic growth and keep valuable materials out of the waste stream,” said DEQ Secretary Michael Regan in a statement. “These businesses convert recyclables into raw materials for American manufacturing companies, resulting in stronger local economies that use less energy, rely less on imported materials, and are more resilient to global market changes. The projects funded by these grants will help build more sustainable and resilient North Carolina communities.”
The Recycling Business Assistance Center in DEQ’s Division of Environmental Assistance and Customer Service works with recycling companies to provide technical, business and financial assistance, according to the release. In the past five years, the center has awarded statewide more than $2.9 million in grants to 78 recycling companies, leading to more than $7.7 million in private investment, creating more than 230 new, full-time jobs and diverting an average of an additional 159,000 tons of materials each year from landfill disposal.