Established in 1996, Indiana charges a state-wide solid waste disposal fee of $0.50 per ton on solid waste disposal at final disposal facilities in Indiana (IC 13-20-22-1). The revenue is deposited equally into the Solid Waste Management Fund and the Indiana Recycling Promotion and Assistance Fund. Total revenue generated from the disposal fee in fiscal year (FY) 2020 amounted to $4.86 million.
“IC 13-20-22-12 Deposits in funds
Sec. 12. The department shall deposit the following on a quarterly basis:
(1) Not less than fifty percent (50%) of the revenue from the fee imposed under section 1(a)(1) of this chapter into the Indiana recycling promotion and assistance fund established by IC 4-23-5.5-14.
(2) Not more than fifty percent (50%) of the revenue from the fee imposed under section 1(a)(1) of this chapter into the state solid waste management fund established by section 2 of this chapter.”
Community Recycling Grant Program
The Solid Waste Management Fund (SWMF) (IC 13-20-22-2) was established to fund grants for household hazardous waste management as well as grants that promote recycling, waste reduction, and yard waste management. In FY 2020, the SWMF received $2.4 million in revenue from the $0.50/ton disposal fee.
In 2019, the Community Recycling Grant Program (CRGP) was established to replace previous SWMF recycling grants that had been suspended since 2008. The program’s goal is to support communities in recycling and waste reduction efforts (including composting) by working with solid waste management districts, counties, municipalities, schools, and nonprofit organizations located in Indiana. Businesses, commercial, and for-profits operations are not eligible for these grants. The grants range from $1,000 to $100,000 with a 25% required cash match and are applied for and awarded yearly on a competitive basis.
This revitalization of support for community recycling awarded a total of $529,000 in grants to 34 Indiana organizations in FY 2020. Grants for projects that advanced composting efforts include $50,000 for the City of Angola Wastewater Treatment Plant towards a windrow compost turner and windrow fabric roller to increase the capacity of the existing biosolids/yard waste composting operation, $2,500 to expand recycling and composting practices and education in Wayne County high schools, and $875 to Inspire Academy in Delaware County to incorporate recycling and composting containers in the cafeterias with clear signage.
Recycling Market Development Grants
The Recycling Promotion and Assistance Fund (RPAF) (IC 4-23-5.5-14) exists to promote and assist recycling in Indiana through economic development and support for businesses and projects involving recycling. The RPAF receives 50% of the revenue from the solid waste disposal fee. In FY 2020, total revenue received for the RPAF was $2.4 million.
The RPAF awarded $1.3 million in grants administered by the Recycling Market Development Program (RMDP) in FY2020. The RMDP was established in the early 1990s to support recycling projects that further market development, job creation, and economic stability. These grants are open to public and private businesses, solid waste management districts, local governments, schools, and nonprofits. Grant funds are available yearly on a competitive basis and range between $50,000 and $500,000, given a 50% cash match.
Examples of composting-focused projects that received RDMP grants include AgRecycle in Boone county, which received $125,000 in 2019 toward a new self-propelled compost turner; Upland Brewing Company in Monroe County, which received $5,344 in 2018 to purchase a vermicomposting system to compost food and paper waste from their brew pub and serve as an education model for on-site restaurant vermicomposting; and Woodrow Wilson Middle School in Vigo County, which received $3,562 in 2018 to purchase compost and recycling bins and begin vermicomposting.
More Information
- Indiana Department of Environmental Management – Community Recycling Grant Program
- Indiana Department of Environmental Management – Recycling Market Development Program
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Original post from November 4, 2021
