ADEM Enhances Recycling with $2 Million in Grant. Lee County Included.

In an effort to enhance recycling, along with economic growth, the Alabama Department of Environmental Management is pleased to announce the recipients of more than $2 million in recycling grants for 2012 including the East Alabama Recycling Partnership of Lee County. These recycling grants will be utilized by local governments and non-profit organizations to purchase equipment such as balers, compactors, recycling trailers, recycling bins, collection trucks, and roll-off containers that will make recycling more convenient for Alabamians.

The recycling grants that are being provided this year bring the total amount of recycling grants provided by ADEM to almost $7 million. The grant funds can be utilized to initiate new recycling programs or enhance existing recycling programs and can also be utilized to support education and outreach activities to promote the importance of recycling at the local level.

These grant funds are made possible through the Solid Wastes & Recyclable Materials

Management Act which was passed by the Alabama Legislature in 2008. The legislation imposed a $1 per ton fee on all solid wastes disposed of in Alabama landfills. A portion of the proceeds generated by this fee supported the creation of the Alabama Recycling Fund, which provides the foundation for ADEM to award the recycling grants on an annual basis.

“The Department is very proud to be able to provide these grant funds that will enhance recycling opportunities from Florence down to Daphne and from Huntsville down to Dothan,” said ADEM Director Lance LeFleur. “Recycling can provide environmental benefits and economic benefits for citizens across Alabama and I am pleased that ADEM can utilize our financial resources and technical resources to support this effort.”

The following entities have been selected as recipients of grant funds for 2012: