Grant Funding Available for Colorado Entities that Recycle
February 8, 2008—Denver—The Colorado Department of
Public Health and Environment is
now accepting grant applications for waste diversion and
recycling
projects in Colorado. A total of $1.2 million in grant
funding is
available for 2008. Entities eligible to apply are
- public and government agencies, including universities and schools;
- private sector organizations, both for-profit and
nonprofit, that have the approval and/or support of a local government
agency;
- private sector organizations, both for-profit and
nonprofit, without approval of local government, when the application
includes documentation that the project will be beneficial to the
local community;
- out-of-state companies or organizations that are expanding
in or relocating to Colorado or have an in-state business
presence, and are registered as doing business in Colorado and whose project
benefits Colorado directly.
Grant applications will be available online beginning Feb.
11 and will
be due by March 28. Interested parties may download the
grant
application from the Colorado Department of Public Health
and the
Environment’s Web site at
www.cdphe.state.co.us/el/p2_program/rreogrants.html.
Awards
will be announced in early May. The start date for projects
is July 1. The $1.2 million grant funding comes from new landfill
surcharges being
collected by the state. The surcharge, which went into
effect last July,
is part of Colorado’s Recycling Resources Economic
Opportunity Act of
2007 passed by the Legislature last year.
Grant selection guidelines were prepared by the Pollution
Prevention
Advisory Board’s Assistance Committee, composed of 13
representatives
of Colorado’s recycling community and appointed by Jim
Martin,
executive director of the Colorado Department of Public
Health and
Environment. “The primary goal of the legislation that created these
grants,”
said committee chair Marjie Griek, “was to propel our
state’s
recycling industry to new heights of activity. Increased
recycling and
waste diversion is good for the environment, and more
business is good
for our economy. We’re excited to see the response we will
get from
Colorado’s entrepreneurs, who can use this wonderful grant
opportunity
for business development.” To provide immediate results to legislative sponsors and
demonstrate
that the funding is a good investment in Colorado’s health
and
prosperity, the grants will be awarded for projects of 12
months in
duration. Applications must clearly reflect the economic
goals and
criteria articulated in the Recycling Resources Economic
Opportunity Act
of 2007. In making recommendations about which grant proposals to
fund, the
committee will rely on data produced by consultants who were
commissioned to analyze gaps and shortfalls in the state’s
recycling
infrastructure, as well as the geographic and demographic
distribution
of recycling resources, and the consultants’ quantification
of the
state’s recycling and waste diversion levels. These reports
will be
available at the Department of Public Health and
Environment’s Web
site:
www.cdphe.state.co.us/el/p2_program/rreogrants.html . |
