Grant Funding Awarded to Colorado Entities That Recycle

DENVER - The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, along with the Pollution Prevention Advisory Board, has announced the selection of 12 projects that will receive a total of approximately $1.37 million in funding to help propel new activity in the state’s recycling industry.

The grant funding comes from new landfill surcharges being collected by the state. The surcharge went into effect in July 2007 as part of House Bill 07-1228, the Colorado Recycling Resources Economic Opportunity Act passed by the state Legislature last year. The act created the recycling grant program to fund implementation projects that promote economic development through the productive management of recyclable materials that would otherwise be treated as discards.

Grant selection guidelines were prepared by the Pollution Prevention Advisory Board’s Assistance Committee, composed of 13 representatives of Colorado’s recycling community and appointed by Jim Martin, executive director of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

“We really were delighted to see so many excellent applications from all around the state, from both rural and urban communities,” said Marjie Griek, chair of the assistance committee. “In making our selections, the committee relied on data produced by consultants who were commissioned to analyze gaps and shortfalls in the state’s recycling infrastructure, as well as the geographic and demographic distribution of recycling resources in the state.”

The following grants were awarded.

•  Alpine Waste and Recycling of Commerce City to expand its processing plant’s capability for recycling commingled materials (paper, cardboard, plastics, bottles and cans) - $281,000

•  The City and County of Denver to pilot an organics-composting program for Denver residences (yard, food and paper) and commercial operations at Denver International Airport (food) - $215,000

•  The City of Greeley to increase community use of the Greeley Green-Cycle Center by providing community outreach support and education - $15,650

•  Eco-Cycle of Boulder to buy processing equipment that densifies polystyrene to expand its capacity for recycling Styrofoam© - $50,000

•  Elbert County to enhance the existing recycling operations to include a composting operation and year-round household hazardous waste “drop and swap” project - $160,000

•  Greater Delores in Southwest Colorado to increase the collection of recyclables in the Four Corners area - $91,000

•  Fruita Monument High School to help students purchase bins to collect recyclables and analyze the school’s waste stream - $3,000

•  National Recycling of Lucerne to build a comprehensive public drop-off center in Greeley - $244,600

•  Phillips County to expand local recycling from just cardboard to include newspaper and help increase current cardboard recycling efforts - $48,000

•  New Community Coalition of Telluride to purchase a baler and composter for the Resource Recovery Center located near Telluride - $145,000

•  Veltrie Disposal Services of Westcliff to purchase a baler to be used for baling cardboard and plastics - $9,700

•  Waste Management of Colorado in Aurora to create an area at the front gate of the Denver Arapahoe Disposal Site where materials such as scrap metal, electronic waste, tires, batteries and other recyclables can be unloaded - $113,000

For more information about the grant program, visit the Department of Public Health and Environment’s Web site: http://www.cdphe.state.co.us/el/p2_program/rreogrants.html.