DEQ Awards $600,000 in Grant Funds, Dec. 20

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality’s Materials Management program has awarded $600,000 in grant funding to 16 local governments, schools and nonprofits after the most competitive application process in the grant program’s history. The funding covers projects that reduce material use, reuse materials, and recover wastes through recycling. “Oregon’s sustainable materials management program has aggressive goals to create a future in which Oregonians produce and use materials responsibly, leading to healthier communities and a healthier planet,” says Richard Whitman, DEQ Director. “We can’t do this alone and our grant program helps bolster existing programs and fund new projects that move us toward that goal.” Some examples of funded projects include: Preventing wasted food by installing milk dispensers in public schools within Marion County and reducing plate size in Southern Oregon University’s residential dining hall. Funding to support recycling infrastructure in rural communities, such as a project to buy new equipment that will quadruple a mattress recycling operation in Klamath Falls. Funding to Heartwood ReSources for heavy equipment to support an additional used building material store in Grants Pass.  View the full news release at: https://www.oregon.gov/newsroom/Pages/NewsDetail.aspx?newsid=3040.