Kentucky communities receive $4.8M for state recycling, composting and waste grants

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Goodman recently announced nearly $4.8 million in grants to Kentucky municipalities, fiscal courts and universities. The money will go toward 75 projects across the commonwealth to expand recycling, reduce the amount of solid waste going into landfills and improve the environmental management of household hazardous waste.

“Kentucky is fortunate that so many municipalities are stepping up to reuse and recycle to reduce the amount of solid waste piling up in our landfills,” Gov. Beshear says. “This shows care for the environment and for each other.”

According to a blog post by the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet, this program awards three types of grants:

• The recycling grant provides funds for counties to purchase recycling equipment to promote sustainable regional recycling infrastructure in Kentucky.
• The composting grant funds the purchase of equipment to improve composting and promote creative solutions for managing food waste, lawn waste and other organic material. 
• The household hazardous waste grant provides funds for counties to conduct annual drop-off events for their citizens to dispose of household chemicals, old electronics and other potentially hazardous wastes.

The state issued 34 recycling grants worth $2.71 million, 29 household hazardous waste grants worth $707,839 and 12 composting grants worth $1.37 million. These grants require a 25 percent local match in the form of cash or “in-kind” labor, educational activities or advertising to promote the program from those receiving the awards. A complete list of grant recipients can be viewed here.

Secretary Goodman says some of these projects raise awareness about the importance of recycling home electronic equipment, which can contain metals such as mercury, which would be harmful to human health if put into landfills. 

“We all need to consider the life cycle of products and how we carefully dispose of them,” Goodman adds.

Funding for the grants comes from the Kentucky Pride Fund, which is generated by a $1.75 fee for each ton of municipal solid waste disposed of in Kentucky landfills.

To apply for the next round of recycling, composting and household hazardous waste grants, applications must be delivered to the Division of Waste Management, Recycling and Local Assistance Branch or emailed to williamt.collins@ky.gov by 4 p.m. April 1, 2022. Each grant requires a 25 percent local match.