Waste Reduction Grants
Division of Solid Waste Management
Eligible Applicants:
The Solid Waste Management Act of 1991, Tennessee Code Annotated sections 68-211-801 to -874 (“Act”), created the Solid Waste Management Fund to be used in part to fund a matching grant program for the purchase of equipment needed to establish or upgrade recycling at a public or not-for-profit recycling collection sites. Tenn. Code Ann. § 68-211-825(a). Such equipment may include, but is not limited to, containers, balers, crushers, and grinders. Tenn. Code Ann. § 68-211-825(a). The State’s goal is to reduce the amount of solid waste disposed of at Class I disposal facilities. Tenn. Code Ann. § 68-211-861(a).
The Department of Environment and Conservation acknowledges that not all local jurisdictions are the same, and they may wish to take different approaches toward achieving the State’s solid waste reduction and diversion goals. Regions with smaller populations may focus efforts on achieving qualitative goals rather than the quantitative goals of the more populous regions and the State. Qualitative goals may be expanding the types of materials collected, providing a service to an underserved area, improving efficiencies, and improving the quality of material recovered. Quantitative goals may be increased recovery rates, capture rates, participation rates, set out rates, or decreasing costs per household served.
Eligible Projects:
Eligible waste reduction equipment includes key equipment needed to establish new collection or processing capacity for recycling, to improve existing recycling collection or processing operations, or to prepare materials for transport and marketing. Eligible facilities shall receive and distribute materials for waste reduction purposes.
Eligible equipment request includes, but is not limited to the following:
- Curbside carts made with recycled content and embedded RFID tags
- Roll off Boxes (open top and closed top)
- Compactors & Receiver Boxes
- Grinders
- Chippers
- Forklifts
- Skid steer loaders
- Recycling Balers
- Collection trucks with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 10,000 pounds or higher will be considered
- Education and Outreach Materials to Reduce Waste and/or Increase Recycling
- Mobile Education Recycling Trailer or Station
Eligible facilities requests include, but are not limited to:
- Recycling Facility or Equipment:
- Optical Sorter
- Disc-Screens
- Trommel Screen
- Sort-Line Conveyors
- Glass Crushers/Pulverizers/Grinders
- Site and Design plans for waste reduction activities
- Site Preparation
- Consultant and Construction Services
Ineligible requests include,but are not limited to:
- Collection trucks with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) less than 10,000 pounds
- Transfer Stations
- Solid Waste Processing Materials
- Waste to Energy Facilities equipment requested for purchase in an area where there is already adequate mechanical processing equipment at privately-owned facilities that serve the relevant geographical area is not eligible under this grant unless the grant applicant demonstrates that the requested equipment serves an indispensable component otherwise unsatisfied by current measures and will also not compete with a privately-owned facility. Tenn. Code Ann. § 68- 211-825(a). Other ineligible requests include landfill measurement equipment and any equipment that aides in increased disposal of materials in Class I disposal facilities. Additionally, applicants that utilize Tennessee-based landfills will receive additional application modifier points.
There are four priorities for this grant:
Applicants located in the following "At Risk" counties: | |||
---|---|---|---|
Benton | Fentress | Lauderale | Pickett |
Campbell | Grainger | Lewis | Rhea |
Carroll | Greene | Meigs | Sequatchie |
Carter | Hardin | Monroe | Unicoi |
Claiborne | Hawkins | Morgan | Warren |
Decatur | Houston | McNairy | White |
Dekalb | Johnson | Overton | Van Buren |
Applicants located in the following "Distressed" counties: | ||
---|---|---|
Bledsoe | Hardeman | Haywood |
Lake | Scott | Grundy |
Perry | Hancock | Cocke |
3. Non-profit, municipality, and county government applicants who develop partnerships with local municipalities or county government by interlocal agreements and/or subcontracting with private partnership(s) focused on waste reduction efforts are eligible. This partnership may include subcontracts for curbside recycling and/or organic waste management.
4. Applications seeking to upgrade an existing recycling collection site at a public or not-for-profit site that meets qualitative goals by serving higher population areas in the State.
Funding & Matching Requirements:
The Waste Reduction Grant provides two separate competitive funding allocations for applicants based upon the following criteria:
- The first competitive funding allocation will be for rural counties or municipalities with populations less than or equal to 50,000 and the cities, solid waste authorities, or non-profit organizations within those counties. The total grant offering is $2,250,000.00 with a maximum award per applicant of $450,000.
- The second competitive funding allocation will be for suburban and urban counties or municipalities with populations of 50,001 or greater and the cities, solid waste authorities, or non-profit organizations within those counties. The total grant offering is $2,500,000.00 with a maximum award per applicant of $625,000.
Grant awards will be made based on the estimates included in the grant application. It is important that applicants research the equipment they are seeking to purchase and obtain accurate price information prior to submitting their application. Only equipment or facility improvements identified in the application and award will be funded, and purchase and installation deadlines will be detailed in the contract scopes. In the event of a delay in receiving equipment or materials, contact should immediately be made with the Grant Program Manager and a justification letter and estimated timeline should be submitted for approval.
- A local match of 10%-50% is required based on an economic index that includes factors such as per capita income and property values in the jurisdiction to be served. Tenn. Code Ann. § 68-211-825(a).
- Waste Reduction Grant Manual
Contacts
Robin ChanceGrants Program Manager615-571-6364 Robin.Chance@tn.gov |
Amber GreeneEnvironmental Consultant615-651-9540 Amber.Greene@tn.gov |