Publication Summary

The Community Litter Cleanup Program (CLCP) provides local governments with funding for litter pickup, illegal-dump cleanup, and litter-prevention education. This funding comes from the Waste Reduction, Recycling, and Model Litter Control Account. In 1998, the Legislature dedicated 20 percent of litter monies from this account to provide financial assistance to local governments.

In addition to funding the CLCP, the account pays for other litter-collection programs, along with recycling, waste reduction, and sustainability efforts. Fifty percent of the account is allocated to the Department of Ecology (Ecology), for use in state litter-collection and prevention programs. Ecology and five other state agencies carry out these programs. The final 30 percent of the account is allocated to Ecology for waste reduction, recycling and sustainability efforts.

Ecology has $2,604,000 available for litter and illegal-dump cleanup and education activities for the period July 1, 2009, through June 30, 2011, subject to legislative authorization. For more detailed information, see Chapter 2.

In addition to litter and illegal-dump cleanup allocations, $196,000 will be available statewide for capital purchases under the Tools and Trucks Program (Tools & Trucks). For more detailed information, see Chapter 6.

If more than for $2,800,000 is authorized by the legislature, a supplemental funding cycle will occur.

Due to the current economic downturn (as of December 2008) and resulting uncertainty in the state budget, Ecology cannot guarantee the allocations presented in these Guidelines will be the final allocation. The state has witnessed a decline in revenue in a number of accounts, including the state litter tax. This and other decisions made by the Governor and the State Legislature may influence the monies we have available for distribution into CLCP. Your regional project officer will contact you as more information about the budget becomes available. Please use these numbers for general planning purposes only.

The Governor will release her budget December 20, 2009. At that time we will have a better reading on whether the numbers presented in the CLCP Guidelines are accurate. Please note that as in other years, even these numbers won′t be final. The Legislature will take up the budget when they convene in January, but we won′t know the final outcome of the budget until April or May of next year.

CLCP funds to pay for litter and illegal dump education/prevention may not be more than 25% of the total contract amount. This cap will ensure adequate funding is used for cleanup.

Tools & Trucks funding has decreased to 7 percent of the total CLCP allocation, down from 10 percent in the last cycle.