Nebraska DEQ Awards $3.4 Million in Grant Money

The Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality Director announced the awarding of $3,438,108 in grants for waste reduction and recycling projects.

The grants are available through the Waste Reduction and Recycling Incentive Grant Fund. This fund is generated by a fee assessed on the sale of new motor vehicle tires, a fee on solid waste disposed of in landfills, and an annual retail business sales fee.

A host of cities in the state were recipients of the grant money. Programs receiving grant money included ones geared toward composting, hazardous waste collection, oil recycling, asphalt and rubber, tire recycling, transportation of recyclables, building of recycling centers, and others.

Under the disposal fee, a total of $1,695,206 was awarded to 15 counties, municipalities, and agencies.

Under the tire fee, a total of $1,033,467 was awarded for projects involving scrap tire recycling, reuse, and management.

Funding for grant money under the business fee totaled $709,435.

Several of the more innovative programs include the following:

Tire Amnesty Days – Fourteen grants were awarded to clean up tires in 22 counties in Nebraska. During these amnesty days, towns and counties will provide residents and small businesses the opportunity to bring their scrap tires to a collection point, at no charge. The grant will pay for the transport and proper end use of these tires.

NDEQ Planning and Aid Unit Supervisor Steve Danahy said that these amnesty/tire cleanup projects are particularly important, considering the health threat posed by scrap tire piles. "Scrap tires can be a breeding ground for mosquitoes, due to standing water," Danahy said. "Since the West Nile virus can be spread by mosquitoes, it is particularly important that we work together to try to minimize this potential health threat."

From projections provided by the communities seeking grants, it is expected that they will collect over 400,000 tires through these 14 tire amnesty projects. A total of $430,000 in grant funds has been awarded to ensure that these tires are transported to projects that are valid end uses of tires. End uses include: shredding the tires and using them as a daily cover in the Butler County landfill, and conversion to crumb rubber, for uses such as artificial turf, playgrounds, and as a component in asphalt paving projects.

"Deconstructing" old buildings – A grant of $246,410 was awarded to the Joslyn Castle Institute, to pay for the operational expenses of a deconstruction team. This team, headed by Cecil Steward, dean emeritus of the University of Nebraska's College of Architecture, has identified several government-owned buildings that are scheduled to be torn down in the next two years. Rather than following traditional demolition procedures, the deconstruction team will conduct a detailed assessment of these structures. The buildings will be methodically taken apart, rather than being knocked down with debris sent to landfills. The team will identify and remove all materials that can be reused and recycled, and will actively pursue markets for these products.

Traveling Recycling Classroom – A grant of $111,157 was provided to Midland Recycling, which will be working in coordination with WasteCap of Lincoln to present a portable classroom on recycling. A semi truck trailer will be converted into a portable classroom that will focus on recycling, reuse and waste minimization. The trailer will be transported to a wide variety of events, fairs and schools in an area within 150 miles of Lincoln, to explain the importance of dealing with waste responsibly, and seeking alternatives to disposal.

The list of groups receiving funding, the total amount received, as well as what type of program the money would be used for is below.

City of Fremont, $163,220, waste oil collection program for several cities and counties

City of Fremont, $59,000, trommel screen for yard waste and street sweepings

City of Kearney, $225,000, in-ground conveyor and horizontal baler

City of Lincoln, $19,703, recycling education campaign

City of Lincoln, $38,222, two biosolid/manure spreaders for biosolids application program

City of Lincoln, $40,341, contract with University of Nebraska Dept. of Civil Engineering to increase market for yard waste compost

City of McCook, $100,000, construct building to house transfer station and recycling center

City of Omaha, $277,000, household hazardous waste facility expenses

City of Tekamah, $11,865, stationary waste compactor

Lexington Area Solid Waste Agency, $53,640, fund two household hazardous waste collections

Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Dept., $85,000, household hazardous waste collection

NE Dept. of Correctional Services, $2,772, bring composting consultant to Lincoln

Red Willow County, $76,100, fourth year of multi-year grant for household hazardous waste collection program

NE Department of Roads, $311,375, partial cost for asphalt rubber mixture road project in Antelope and Knox counties

University of Nebraska – Lincoln Department of Biological Systems, $199,426, Partners in Pollution Prevention Intern Program

University of Nebraska – Lincoln Division of Environmental Health, $22,178, Aerosol can crusher and filtration system

Village of Spalding, $3,800, contractual costs to haul recyclables to recycling center

Village of Verdigre, $6,564, personnel and operating expenses to run recycling center

Bancroft-Rosalie Community Schools, floor mats, $1,335

Battle Creek Public School, resurface athletic track, $17,962

Bruckman Rubber Co., Hastings, crumb rubber, $4,793

Cass County Dept. of Roads, crumb rubber, $19,263

Chappell Rotary Club, crumb rubber, $4,199

Chase County High School, Imperial, crumb rubber, $13,011

City of Edgar (for Clay County), tire collection amnesty for 265 tons, $27,768

City of Fairbury, tire collection amnesty for 20 tons, $2,060

City of Holdrege, tire collection amnesty for 500 tons, $53,749

City of Lexington, tire collection amnesty for 500 tons, $58,520

City of McCook, (includes 7 counties), tire collection amnesty for 500 tons, $64,420

City of Superior, tire collection amnesty for 100 tons, $12,500

City of York, tire collection amnesty for 200 tons, $19,200

Deshler Public Schools, crumb rubber, $6,450

Doug Briot Landscaping, Jefferson City, Mo., crumb rubber, $2,987

Gage County, Beatrice, tire collection amnesty for 400 tons, $44,768

Head Start Child & Family Development - Hastings, playground mats-Fairfield, $6,007

Head Start Child & Family Development - Hastings, playground mats-Grand Island, $8,590

Howard Elementary School, Fremont, crumb rubber, $3,750

Parks & Recreation Department, Lincoln, playground tiles, $17,077

Parks & Recreation Department, Lincoln, artificial grass surface/crumb rubber, $10,049

Logan View Public Schools, Hooper, resurface running track, $18,750

Lourdes Catholic Schools, Nebraska City, poured-in-place playground, $3,049

Malcolm Public School District 148, resurface running track, $17,810

McCook Elementary PTO, poured-in-place playground, $31,050

McCool Junction Community Improvement Fund, resurface running track, $17,875

Millard Star Soccer Assn., Omaha, artificial grass surface/crumb rubber, $75,250

Nebraska City Public Schools, crumb rubber, $18,542

Nebraska Department of Roads, asphalt rubber chip seal, $49,662

Nebraska Game & Parks Commission, Norfolk, tire cleanup, 60 tons, $5,240

Omaha Public Schools, artificial grass surface/crumb rubber, $66,727

Papillion-LaVista Public Schools, resurface track, $16,186

Papillion-LaVista Public Schools, artificial grass surface/crumb rubber, $118,101

Sacred Heart School, Lawrence, poured-in-place playground, $11,181

Saline County, tire collection amnesty for 250 tons, $22,200

Seward County, tire collection amnesty for 125 tons, $11,040

Seward Elementary PTO, playground tiles, $475

SID #6 - Lancaster County, Emerald, tire collection amnesty for 500 tons, $62,765

Village of Orleans (for three counties), tire collection amnesty for 350 tons, $40,250

Village of Prague, tire collection amnesty for 100 tons, $8,400

Washington Elementary PTO, Norfolk, crumb rubber, $6,591

Welch Products, Algonquin, Illinois, study project with NE Department of Roads, $33,863

Clean Country, Ord, $858, personnel expenses to sort recyclables

Grand Island Area Clean Community System, $102,895, twenty-five county household hazardous waste collection

Holy Cross School, Omaha, $1,000, purchase benches made from recycled plastic lumber

Joslyn Castle Institute for Sustainable Communities, Omaha, $246,410, personnel and operating expenses for deconstruction team

Keep Alliance Beautiful, $16,765, office paper recycling program

Keep Chadron Beautiful, $7,499, office paper recycling program

Keep Nebraska Beautiful, $83,364, Nebraska Materials Exchange Program, Nebraska Used Oil Collection Program, and Nebraska Household Hazardous Waste Program

Keep North Platte-Lincoln County Beautiful, $25,537, household hazardous waste collections

Kopcho Sanitation, Inc., York, $38,857, tub grinder

Midland Recycling, Lincoln, $111,157, purchase semi-trailer and convert into interactive recycling and waste minimization classroom

Mid-Nebraska Disposal Service Inc., Grand Island, $1,387, twenty-eight 96-gallon toters for paper recycling at Grand Island schools