Pennsylvania DEP Awards Grant Money

Pennsylvania’s Environmental Protection Secretary Kathleen McGinty announced more than $4.3 million in recycling performance grants to 104 Pennsylvania communities for their recycling efforts in 2003.

“These grants give Pennsylvania communities a direct incentive to recycle,” McGinty said. “The more they recycle, the more they receive in recycling performance grants. Recycling pays dividends for Pennsylvania’s environment and its economy, conserving our resources and creating jobs.”

More than 3,247 recycling and reuse businesses and organizations generate more than $18.4 billion in gross annual sales and provide jobs for more than 81,322 employees at an annual payroll of approximately $2.9 billion. These businesses add more than $305 million in taxes to the commonwealth treasury.

In 2003, the latest year for which data is available, 4.45 million tons of waste were recovered in the state. The economic value of remaking that waste into new and useful products exceeded $68 million. In addition, Pennsylvania communities avoided $240 million in disposal costs based on the estimated statewide average disposal cost of $54 per ton.

Including these 104 grants, more than 700 grants have been approved from nearly 800 applications that DEP received by the Sept. 30, 2004, filing deadline for recycling performance during the 2003 calendar year. Additional awards will be made as the remaining applications are processed.