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Department of Ecology News Release - November 24, 2008
08-308
OLYMPIA – The Washington Department of Ecology’s Coordinated Prevention Grant program is funding more than $5 million in local environmental projects from green building and composting/chipping to waste reduction/recycling and product stewardship.
The grants are made possible by a voter-approved initiative for reducing toxic threats in Washington state.
In awarding the grants, Ecology evaluated requests totaling $10 million for the available $5 million in grant funds. Sixty-five projects were chosen through a competitive process. The grant amounts range from $3,975 to $487,500. Projects all across the state, from Clallam to Asotin counties, received funding.
“These grants give local communities the resources to move basic environmental work to a more sustainable level. Much of the money will go to programs that expand recycling, composting and toxics reduction efforts,” said Ecology Director Jay Manning. “A clean, green Washington is good for our public health and our economy. These are innovative projects and we are happy to move them forward.” Funds were awarded in five categories, with the following totals:
Of the $5 million in grant money awarded, $630,000 is going to communities to implement programs that provide safe alternatives to burning yard waste. Burning yard waste in Washington’s designated urban growth areas was phased out over a period of years to protect people and communities from serious human health problems resulting from breathing wood smoke.
For example, Kittitas County plans to construct additional compost curing facilities at the regional compost facility they are constructing. Yakima County is taking the first step to determine the feasibility of a regional compost facility. Benton County is conducting a feasibility study to develop an Organic Waste Processing facility to remove 240,000 tons a year of organic material from their waste stream. And Coulee City in Grant County, which has purchased a chipper, will offer free chipping combined with classes on backyard composting.
Most of the CPG funding -- $4 million -- is provided by the Legislature through Ecology’s Beyond Waste program, which supports efforts to reduce the amount of waste and toxic substances generated. These funds come from a hazardous substance tax created by Washington voters when they passed Initiative 97 — the Model Toxics Control Act (MTCA) — in 1988. It is dedicated specifically to environmental cleanups and protection in Washington state.
Grants support Central Washington waste and recycling programs
Benton, Kittitas, Okanogan and Yakima counties have received grants from the state Department of Ecology (Ecology) for waste reduction and recycling efforts.
The Coordinated Prevention Grants are awarded by Ecology to local governments to help them manage solid and household hazardous-wastes, prevent illegal dumping and promote recycling and composting programs.
In these four counties in Central Washington, six projects will receive just under $400,000 for a two-year funding cycle.
Benton County will use a $75,000 grant to conduct a feasibility study and create an operations plan to eventually build a full-scale Organic Waste Processing Facility for recovering the 240,000 tons per year of organic waste going to the landfill.
Kittitas County Solid Waste will use a $224,000 grant to design, construct, operate and maintain additional curing pile capacity to receive organic material at the new county-wide composting facility.
Kittitas County Public Health Department will use a $7,500 grant to mark and track GPS points for all solid waste activities in Kittitas County, such as abandoned landfills, metals recycling and mining, trash dumping, hazardous waste spills, and agricultural composting. This project will research, identify, and track in-operational solid and hazardous waste activities, as well as current and future waste activities.
Okanogan County Public Health will use a $40,000 grant to investigate and enforce illegal dumping and littering in Okanogan County.
Yakima County Public Services, Solid Waste Division will use a $15,000 grant to construct a demonstration built-green greenhouse to promote green building, recycling, organic waste collection, composting, and environmentally preferable purchasing. The county will also use a $37,500 grant to conduct a feasibility study to determine location, partners, costs, market and supply for organics composting.
For a listing of all the grant projects statewide, link here: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/swfa/grants/CPG0910OffSetListPR.pdf
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Media Contacts:
Joye Redfield-Wilder, media relations, 509-575-2610
Kathy Davis, media relations, 360-407-6149
Shelly McMurry, Solid Waste and Financial Assistance, 360-407-6223
For more information:
Coordinated Prevention Grants Program:
http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/swfa/grants/cpg.html
Beyond Waste Initiative:
http://www.ecy.wa.gov/beyondwaste/
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
