Grants available to increase participation and reduce contamination at recycling drop-off sites in Ohio.
Through a collaboration between the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (Ohio EPA) and The Recycling Partnership, Ohio communities have the opportunity to apply for a grant to improve their drop-off recycling programs.
Up to $180,000 in community awarded grants will support selected drop-off recycling programs and will provide grantees with direct mail educational materials, new drop-off site signage, and digital and social media advertising to increase participation, capture rate, and material quality. This program also provides $120,000 to fund statewide webinars, workshops, and training programs to benefit all Ohio communities. All solid waste management districts, counties, and local governments currently operating residential drop-off sites in Ohio are eligible to apply for grants of $3 per household up to $75,000 for the program.
Ohio EPA and The Recycling Partnership encourage all solid waste management districts, counties, and local governments interested in this grant opportunity to visit www.recycleohio.gov for additional details, instructions, and a recorded informational webinar. Applicants must complete their application online at www.municipalmeasurement.com using a new or existing account. The grant application survey will appear in the survey list. Applicants are strongly encouraged to read the entire RFP document prior to beginning the application. Complete instructions can be found in the RFP which is available Grant applications for this RFP process will be due on November 18, 2022.
A webinar was held on October 12, 2022, discussing the grant and project components. You can view the recording at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/recording/9177131402229071368.
This grant builds upon a previous collaborative project between Ohio EPA and The Recycling Partnership which concluded in 2021. That project focused on curbside recycling outreach efforts in Akron, Centerville, Cincinnati, Columbus, Gahanna, and Fairfield. Results showed improved quality of recyclables collected through curbside recycling programs for approximately 155,000 Ohio households by reducing contamination from 10 to 46 percent during the project period.