NOTICES
Submission Date for Recycling Program Development and Implementation Grants under the Municipal Waste Planning, Recycling and Waste Reduction Act of 1988
[36 Pa.B. 2594] The Department of Environmental Protection (Department) announces the availability of applications to municipalities for recycling program grant assistance under section 902 of the Municipal Waste Planning, Recycling and Waste Reduction Act (act) (53 P. S. § 4000.902). Municipalities eligible for recycling grants include counties, cities, boroughs, incorporated towns, townships, home rule municipalities, councils of governments, consortiums or similar entities established by two or more municipalities under 53 Pa.C.S. Chapter 23, Subchapter A (relating to intergovernmental cooperation).
Since the program's inception, over $345 million has been issued by the Department to establish, support and expand municipal recycling programs. In just the past 5 years, $98 million has been provided to municipal programs resulting in an increase of 1.7 million tons of recovered materials from municipal solid waste. These additional materials have helped to grow this Commonwealth's $20 billion annual recycling economy.
Applicants must be in compliance with the act and the implementing regulations, the Department's Guidelines for Proper Management of Recyclable Materials and any previous grant contract provisions to be eligible to receive grant funding. County applicants should be in compliance with planning and other county-related provisions of the act. Applicants who are not in compliance with the act's annual reporting requirements will not be considered in this grant application round. Programs operating in municipalities covered by land use plans and ordinances (as outlined under Acts 67 and 68 of 2000) or projects that are in compliance with their municipality's land use plan will receive priority over similar programs and projects absent such conditions.
Municipalities are eligible for 90% funding of approved recycling program costs. Municipalities considered financially distressed by the Department of Community and Economic Development under the Municipalities Financial Recovery Act (53 P. S. §§ 11071.101--11701.501) are eligible for 100% of approved costs. An application requesting more than $500,000 in grant funding will not be accepted. Because funding for educational efforts will be limited, applicants should, when practicable, allocate these costs toward their required match.
Applicants must submit a plan along with their funding request that includes definitive actions and strategies for optimizing program self-sufficiency. The plan shall include, at a minimum, strategies for reducing costs and generating revenues, provisions for establishing incentives associated with waste reduction and recycling, mechanisms for public outreach and stakeholder input and tracking mechanisms to document progress toward sustainability milestones until optimum sustainability is realized. The Department's technical report on Building Financially Sustainable Recycling Programs can provide assistance in developing such methods and strategies. The technical report can be found on the Department's website at www.depweb.state.pa.us/dep/deputate/airwaste/wm/recycle/document/fin_sust_rec.pdf.
In this grant round, the Department is designating up to one half of the funding available to support the establishment of programs that provide residents with an incentive to recycle more or dispose of less waste, such as ''Pay-As-You-Throw'' and other new and innovative recycling programs designed to increase household and business participation and/or increase the amount of recyclables collected. Communities applying for funds to support such programs will be asked to demonstrate increased revenues from the marketing of recyclable materials as well as an overall increase in materials collected and residential participation once the program has been implemented. Eligible costs under this grant include: reusable containers for recyclable materials; vehicles to collect recyclable materials, including those equipped for automated collection; agreements for collection and/or marketing of recyclables; educational materials specific to the incentive program; and development of the program leading to implementation. Costs for containers, education and development of the program attributable to the waste collection portion of the program may be claimed as the applicant's 10% matching funds.
Other applicants requesting support for the following will receive priority for the remainder of the funding:
1. Economic evaluation of the municipality's recycling collection, education and marketing efforts resulting in recommendations leading towards enhanced sustainability. Funding for this task will be limited to $10,000 per municipal applicant or $25,000 per multi-municipal program.
2. Multi-municipal collection, processing and materials marketing programs where costs are reduced and/or recycling marketability is enhanced due to intergovernmental cooperation.
3. Equipment and education necessary to collect and/or process an Act 101 material not currently included in the applicant's recycling program.
Projects eligible for grant funding are those which divert the following recyclable materials from municipal solid waste: clear glass, colored glass, aluminum, steel and bimetallic cans, high-grade office paper, newsprint, corrugated paper, other marketable grades of paper, plastics, source separated food scraps, and leaf and yard wastes.
Eligible recycling program development costs include: recycling program design costs, recycling market investigations, development of recycling market commitments, development of recycling program ordinances, development of recycling public education programs and development of contracts for procuring equipment or services necessary for the operation of the recycling program.
Eligible recycling program implementation costs include: purchase or lease of vehicles used to collect recyclables (including automated and single-stream collection vehicles), transport of recyclables to processing facilities or markets, including vehicles used in the operation of a materials recovery facility; purchase of reusable containers for the collection or storage of recyclable materials; acquisition or renovation, or both, of buildings for the processing or storage of recovered materials; equipment used to process or manufacture recyclable materials into usable products; improvements to land needed to operate a recycling facility or yard waste composting facility authorized under 25 Pa. Code § 271.103(h) (relating to permit-by-rule for municipal waste processing facilities other than for infectious or chemotherapeutic waste; qualifying facilities; general requirements); and the costs associated with educating the public on recycling program requirements. Under this grant solicitation, promotional items, glass crushing equipment (unless specific marketing arrangements have been identified) and vehicles equipped with compaction units (except for the sole collection of yard waste, paper fiber and/or single-stream collection where a facility equipped to process such material has been identified) will not be considered eligible for funding. Other eligible and noneligible costs are listed in the grant application packet. Composting projects and programs will be considered to be recycling projects or programs accordingly.
A municipality must retain sole ownership of equipment or facilities funded by the grant. Funding for equipment or facilities purchased for the recycling program that is used for recycling and other purposes will be prorated according to its recycling use. Funding for certain leaf and yard waste collection equipment may be limited according to its seasonal use. Funding for wood chipping equipment will be approved only when the equipment is part of an approved yard waste composting facility operating under the Department's guidelines and where the material is collected curbside from residents. Funding of street sweepers for the purpose of leaf collection will not be considered.
Funding may be restricted in situations where equipment or services requested through a grant application may be available from the public or private sector within the county of the applicant. Public notices may be required before the grant application may be submitted depending upon the nature of the funding request. When the municipality submits the recycling grant application to the Department, it must include proof of compliance with the notification requirements, a description of any responses received to the notice and an explanation of why the municipality has concluded the mechanical processing equipment is not available to the program from the private sector.
Potential applicants must contact the appropriate Department regional planning and recycling coordinator to schedule a preapplication conference to discuss application requirements and program particulars. Applications will be returned to municipalities that fail to schedule a preapplication conference. Grant application forms are available from the Department's regional offices and the Department's website, www.depweb.state.pa.us (DEP Keyword: Recycling Grants).
Grant applications must be received or postmarked by October 20, 2006. Applications received by the Department after that date will not be considered during the current round of solicitation. Applications must be on forms provided by the Department, with two copies submitted to the Department's Central Office (Rachel Carson State Office Building, Harrisburg) and one copy submitted to the appropriate county recycling coordinator. Grant awards will be predicated on the receipt of recycling fees required by sections 701 and 702 of the act (53 P. S. §§ 4000.701 and 4000.702) and the availability of moneys in the Recycling Fund.
Inquiries concerning this notice should be directed to Todd Pejack, Recycling Grants Coordinator, Department of Environmental Protection, Rachel Carson State Office Building, Bureau of Waste Management, Division of Waste Minimization and Planning, P. O. Box 8472, Harrisburg, PA 17105-8472, tpejack@state.pa.us.
KATHLEEN A. MCGINTY,
Secretary
Regional Planning and Recycling Coordinators Southeast Region
Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia Counties(Waste Management Program)
2 East Main Street
Norristown, PA 19401
(484) 250-5900
(610) 832-6143 fax
Calvin Ligons, cligons@state.pa.us
Ann Ryan, aryan@state.pa.us
MaryAlice Reisse, mreisse@state.pa.usNortheast Region
Carbon, Lackawanna, Lehigh, Luzerne, Monroe, Northampton, Pike, Schuylkill, Susquehanna, Wayne and Wyoming Counties(Waste Management Program)
2 Public Square
Wilkes-Barre, PA 18711-0790
(570) 826-2516
(570) 826-5448 fax
Chris Fritz, cfritz@state.pa.usSouthcentral Region
Adams, Bedford, Berks, Blair, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Fulton, Huntingdon, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, Mifflin, Perry and York Counties(Waste Management Program)
909 Elmerton Avenue
Harrisburg, PA 17110-8200
(717) 705-4706
(717) 705-4930 fax
Mark Vottero, mvottero@state.pa.us
Mike Union, munion@state.pa.usNorthcentral Region
Bradford, Cameron, Centre, Clearfield, Clinton, Columbia, Lycoming, Montour, Northumberland, Potter, Snyder, Sullivan, Tioga and Union Counties(Waste Management Program)
208 W. 3rd Street, Suite 101
Williamsport, PA 17701
(570) 321-6533
(570) 327-3420 fax
Michelle Ferguson, miferguson@state.pa.usSouthwest Region
Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Cambria, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Somerset, Washington and Westmoreland Counties(Waste Management Program)
400 Waterfront Drive
Pittsburgh, PA 15222-4745
(412) 442-4000
(412) 442-4194 fax
Sharon Svitek, ssvitek@state.pa.us
Stephen Sales, ssales@state.pa.us
Bradley Cunningham, bcunningham@state.pa.usNorthwest Region
Butler, Clarion, Crawford, Elk, Erie, Forest, Jefferson, Lawrence, McKean, Mercer, Venango and Warren CountiesPollution Prevention and Compliance Assistance
230 Chestnut Street
Meadville, PA 16335-3481
(814) 332-6848
(814) 332-6117 fax
Guy McUmber, gmcumber@state.pa.us
[Pa.B. Doc. No. 06-937. Filed for public inspection May 26, 2006, 9:00 a.m.]
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