WasteCap of Lincoln received grant funding of nearly $49,000 from the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality’s Litter Reduction and Recycling Grant Program.
The funds awarded to WasteCap of Lincoln will be used for a minimum of three training sessions and two talk and tours. The training sessions will focus on waste reduction and recycling issues including buy recycled, electronics, and measuring and tracking waste reduction potential. Because last year’s “Nebraska Recycling & Pollution Prevention Training & Vendor Show” received positive feedback and had a high level of participation, a second vendor show may also be planned for this upcoming year.
Due to the high success of the initial Talk & Tour at the University of Nebraska’s Memorial Stadium last year, WasteCap of Lincoln asked for funding to host additional similar events. These activities will assist businesses in learning innovative strategies for waste reduction, recycling and pollution prevention. Each tour host will explain the processes used to reduce waste and strategies that the company has implemented for successful diversion and recycling. This information will assist other businesses in developing programs of their own, thereby reducing waste and saving money.
The grant award also allows for WasteCap of Lincoln to begin statewide expansion. WasteCap of Lincoln will begin working with service providers to create agreements for businesses outside the Lincoln area. Initially, one pilot city will be chosen to test the applicability of the WasteCap model in other communities. WasteCap of Lincoln intends to partner with several other environmental service organizations in order to make this huge undertaking a success.
WasteCap of Lincoln, a partnership of the City of Lincoln and the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce, assists area businesses in developing waste reduction, recycling and pollution prevention programs. Last year, WasteCap’s member businesses saved nearly $300,000 in landfill and recycling fees by participating in the programs offered.