PRESS RELEASE
from the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy

For more information,contact
Carla Felix (402) 471-4223,
Amanda Woita (402) 471-4243,
Nathanael Urie (402) 471-4245, or
For Immediate Release
July 8, 2014

DEQ Awards $4.3 Million in Waste Reduction and Recycling Grants

Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality Acting Director Patrick Rice today announced the awarding of $4,296,581 in grants through the Waste Reduction and Recycling Incentive Grant Fund.

“These funds are used for a wide variety of projects to reduce waste, promote recycling and address the issue of scrap tire piles,” Rice said. “The grants will provide support to important local environmental improvement efforts across the state.”

The Waste Reduction and Recycling Incentive Grant Fund is generated by a fee on solid waste disposed of in landfills, an annual retail business sales fee, and a fee assessed on the sale of new tires for motor vehicles.

The grants are provided to local integrated waste management projects including: recycling systems, household hazardous waste collection programs, transfer stations, yard waste composting, scrap tire collections, and recycling scrap tires into crumb rubber for use in athletic fields. Some of the projects funded include:
  • The City of Gering was awarded $23,665 for a skid loader to help move materials in the city’s recycling center.
  • Nebraska Pharmacists Association was awarded $120,505 to help 500 pharmacies across the state legally collect and properly dispose of unwanted prescription medications from the public. If not properly disposed, pharmaceuticals can end up in groundwater and drinking water.
  • Cuming County was awarded $43,000 for the cleanup of approximately 500 tons of scrap tires from Cuming, Burt, Dodge, Washington, Dakota, Thurston, Douglas, Sarpy, Colfax, and Stanton counties. The event will be held the morning of September 5, 2014 in West Point.
  • Plattsmouth Community Schools – was awarded $187,923, to provide 25% reimbursement of artificial turf for the football and baseball fields, a shock layer under the football field, and an athletic running track surface. 633,700 pounds of crumb rubber made from recycled scrap tires from Nebraska were used in this project.
The attached table provides a list by city of all 2014 grantees, and includes the amount awarded and a description of the projects receiving grant support.

2014 Waste Reduction and Recycling Grant Award Recipients
City
Organization
Award Amount
Application Summary
Ainsworth
City of Ainsworth
$22,520
180-ton scrap tire cleanup for Brown County
Albion
Boone Central Schools
$103,425
25% reimbursement of artificial turf and athletic track surface
Alliance
City of Alliance
$61,140
500-ton scrap tire cleanup for five counties
Alliance
Keep Alliance Beautiful, Inc.
$7,388
50% reimbursement of 48,000 pounds of rubber landscaping mulch
Alma
Lower Republican Natural Resources District
$17,650
200-ton scrap tire cleanup for Webster, Franklin, and Harlan Counties
Arlington
Village of Arlington
$8,905
50% reimbursement of 58,500 pounds of rubber and 25% reimbursement of swing mats
Atkinson
City of Atkinson
$30,398
300-ton scrap tire cleanup
Auburn
Nemaha County
$11,176
125-ton scrap tire cleanup
Aurora
City of Aurora - Park & Recreation Dept.
$399
25% reimbursement of sign post, water hydrant, fence, and guy wire mats
Bassett
City of Bassett and Rock County
$23,352
200-ton scrap tire cleanup
Beatrice
Gage County
$25,952
300-ton scrap tire cleanup
Beatrice
City of Beatrice - Public Properties
$6,800
25% reimbursement of bonded-rubber playground surface
Bellevue
City of Bellevue
$10,200
100-ton scrap tire cleanup
Benkelman
City of Benkelman
$15,802
150-ton scrap tire cleanup for Dundy County
Bennet
Village of Bennet
$38,826
500-ton scrap tire cleanup
Broken Bow
Custer County Recycling
$50,000
Horizontal Baler to replace an older baler in the Custer County recycling facility
Broken Bow
Broken Bow Schools
$15,425
50% reimbursement of 109,200 pounds of playground rubber mulch
Broken Bow
City of Broken Bow
$5,204
50% reimbursement of 37,050 pounds of playground rubber mulch
Cedar Bluffs
Cedar Bluffs Public Schools
$3,118
50% reimbursement of 17,550 pounds of playground rubber mulch
Cedar Rapids
Cedar Rapids Public School
$1,169
25% reimbursement of poured-in-place playground surface
Center
Knox County
$9,560
100-ton scrap tire cleanup
Central City
Merrick County Highway Department
$8,476
100-ton scrap tire cleanup
Central City
City of Central City
$2,202
25% reimbursement of 14 picnic tables
Chadron
Keep Chadron Beautiful
$20,000
Recycle cardboard and white office paper
Chadron
Solid Waste Agency of Northwest Nebraska
$19,033
125-ton scrap tire cleanup for Sioux, Dawes, and Sheridan Counties
Chadron
Northwest Community Action Partnership Headstart
$4,122
50% reimbursement of 17,550 pounds of playground rubber mulch
Columbus
Behlen Mfg. Co.
$22,200
Purchase a grappling rake to help recycle wood, purchase recycling containers, and rent two compactors
Columbus
City of Columbus
$31,600
300-ton scrap tire cleanup
Columbus
Young Ones Child Care
$576
50% reimbursement of 2,613 pounds of playground rubber mulch
Davenport
Little Blue Natural Resources District
$16,600
200-ton scrap tire cleanup for Clay, Nuckolls, and Thayer Counties
David City
Butler County Landfill
$30,700
Purchase a new skid loader to handle scrap tires at the landfill
David City
County of Butler County
$14,980
175-ton scrap tire cleanup
David City
City of David City
$7,037
50% reimbursement of 48,750 pounds of playground rubber mulch
Eagle
Parents and Teachers of Eagle Elementary (PTE)
$1,049
25% reimbursement of playground mats
Elgin
City of Elgin
$12,675
50% reimbursement of 97,500 pounds of playground rubber mulch
Elgin
St. Boniface Elementary School
$2,097
50% reimbursement of 13,650 pounds of playground rubber mulch
Elwood
Elwood Public Schools
$2,138
50% reimbursement of 29,250 pounds of playground rubber mulch
Emerald
Sanitary Improvement District #6
$36,970
500-ton scrap tire cleanup
Fairbury
Jefferson County
$12,362
150-ton scrap tire cleanup
Falls City
Dreamland Daycare
$1,050
50% reimbursement of 7,500 pounds of rubber mulch
Firth
Prairieland Dairy LLC
$95,000
Food de-packaging equipment for use in dairy and food waste composting operation
Firth
Norris Elementary School
$1,260
50% reimbursement of 3,060 pounds of rubber mulch and 25% reimbursement of mats/ramp
Fort Calhoun
Fort Calhoun Community Schools
$2,699
25% reimbursement of playground mats
Fremont
Keep Fremont Beautiful, Inc.
$22,506
One day household hazardous waste collection event for Fremont and Dodge County. Maintain battery and CFL collection site.
Fremont
City of Fremont
$17,976
200-ton scrap tire cleanup
Geneva
Fillmore County Board of Supervisors
$12,148
150-ton scrap tire cleanup
Gering
City of Gering
$23,665
Skid loader to help move materials in the recycling center
Gibbon
Gibbon Public Schools
$8,120
50% reimbursement of 56,550 pounds of playground rubber mulch
Grand Island
Hall County Highway Department
$16,776
200-ton scrap tire cleanup
Gretna
Gretna Sanitation, Inc.
$65,000
Purchase a semi tractor and walking floor trailer to transport organic waste.
Gretna
Gretna Public Schools
$24,679
25% reimbursement of athletic track surfacing
Gretna
Gretna Public Schools - High School
$24,456
25% reimbursement of athletic track surfacing
Hartington
Cedar County
$24,296
260-ton scrap tire cleanup
Hastings
Woodward's Disposal Service, Inc.
$52,765
Curbside Recycling Truck
Hastings
City of Hastings Solid Waste Landfill
$24,500
Host a one-day household hazardous waste collection event for residents of Adams County
Hastings
City of Hastings Solid Waste Department
$30,155
325-ton scrap tire cleanup for Adams County
Hastings
Bruckman Rubber Co.
$646
50% reimbursement of 6,371 pounds of crumb rubber for manufacturing
Imperial
City of Imperial
$2,000
Host a one day electronics recycling event for Imperial and surrounding area
Imperial
SWNSWA
$7,500
Vertical baler and stretch wrap dispenser to bale and ship #1 and #2 plastics
Imperial
Southwest Nebraska Solid Waste Agency
$12,188
120-ton scrap tire cleanup for Chase County
Kearney
City of Kearney
$25,200
300-ton scrap tire cleanup for Buffalo County
Kearney
Emerson Elementary/Kearney Public Schools
$13,448
50% reimbursement of 82,563 pounds of playground mulch and 25% reimbursement of mats
Kearney
Sandhill Plastics, Inc.
$7,089
50% reimbursement of 128,772 pounds of crumb rubber for manufacturing
Kimball
Keep Kimball Beautiful
$29,797
Expenses for Keep Kimball Beautiful, the Kimball Recycling Center and a roll-off container
Kimball
City of Kimball
$22,990
200-ton scrap tire cleanup
Lewiston
Lewiston Consolidated Schools
$3,573
50% reimbursement of 23,400 pounds of rubber mulch and 25% reimbursement of rubber timbers
Lexington
Lexington Area Solid Waste Agency
$25,780
Household hazardous waste collection events over two weekends in central Nebraska.
Lincoln
Blessed Sacrament School
$1,500
Purchase two recycled plastic park benches for the school playground
Lincoln
Keep Nebraska Beautiful
$26,484
Chemical cleanout campaign in five Nebraska high schools---Cedar Bluffs, Conestoga, Johnson-Brock, Neligh-Oakdale and Sandy Creek
Lincoln
Keep Nebraska Beautiful
$52,824
Materials Exchange Program
Lincoln
Lincoln Electric System
$150,000
Two-year grant to remove and recycle approximately 1,100 older refrigerators for LES customers
Lincoln
Nebraska Pharmacists Association
$120,505
First year of two-year project for 500 pharmacies to legally collect and dispose of unwanted or expired pharmaceuticals
Lincoln
City of Lincoln
$212,500
Self-propelled compost turner for city's yard waste composting program producing approximately 10,000 cubic yards of finished compost annually.
Lincoln
City of Lincoln
$31,607
Purchase public area recycling containers for city government buildings
Lincoln
Lincoln Public Schools
$12,428
Salary and travel for Lincoln Public Schools Recycling Coordinator
Lincoln
Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department
$120,000
Several household hazardous waste collection events in Lancaster County, two events for small businesses, home-based household hazardous waste service for seniors and homebound citizens, and two latex paint exchanges.
Lincoln
CEDARS Youth Services
$1,580
50% reimbursement of 12,546 pounds of playground rubber mulch
Lincoln
Kelly's Kids Learning and Development Center
$1,388
50% reimbursement of 10,800 pounds of playground rubber mulch
Lincoln
Lincoln Public Schools
$60,197
25% reimbursement of artificial turf at Beechner Field
Lincoln
Saratoga Elementary School-Lincoln Public Schools
$745
25% reimbursement of six benches and three picnic tables
Lincoln
University of Nebraska Athletics
$94,780
25% reimbursement of artificial turf for Memorial Stadium
Loup City
Central Nebraska Community Services
$602
50% reimbursement of 2,600 pounds of playground rubber mulch
Loup City
Sherman County
$359
25% reimbursement of six park benches
Madison
City of Madison
$3,246
30-ton scrap tire cleanup for the City of Madison
Madrid
Village of Madrid
$29,360
250-ton scrap tire cleanup
Madrid
Village of Madrid
$3,805
50% reimbursement of 18,119 pounds of playground rubber mulch
McCook
Red Willow County
$154,576
This grant would support the Red Willow County Household Hazardous Waste Facility and provide for a minimum of 52 HHW collection events and 17 additional pickup and disposal services with a minimum of 200,000 pounds of HHW collected in 32 counties.
Minden
County of Kearney
$16,976
200-ton scrap tire cleanup
Minden
Lois Bruning
$129
25% reimbursement two benches for Ft. Kearney Rec Area
Nebraska City
Emily M. Schneider
$340
50% reimbursement of 12,760 pounds of playground rubber mulch
Neligh
City of Neligh
$32,765
350-ton scrap tire cleanup for Antelope County
Nelson
Nuckolls County
$9,610
120-ton scrap tire cleanup
Nelson
South Central NE USD #5
$7,731
50% reimbursement of 54,920 pounds of playground rubber mulch
Norfolk
Siouxland Plastics
$175,000
Optical sorter that scans, sorts and compresses plastic
North Bend
North Bend Central Public Schools
$21,819
25% reimbursement of athletic track surfacing
North Platte
Keep North Platte and Lincoln County Beautiful
$8,150
Roll-off trailer for recyclables in North Platte and Lincoln County
North Platte
Sandridge Apartments
$3,358
50% reimbursement of 23,400 pounds of playground rubber mulch
Oakland
Nebraska Loess Hills RC&D Council
$13,781
Host three household hazardous waste collection events in Emerson, Beemer and Craig
Oakland
Nebraska Loess Hills RC&D Council
$3,500
Host an electronics collection event in West Point
Ogallala
Western Resources Group, LLC
$50,000
Purchase six roll off containers for cardboard and other recyclables
Omaha
Angels on Wheels DBA Cross Training Center
$45,000
Thirty-three electronics and appliance collection events including advertising costs and refurbishing some equipment.
Omaha
Goodwill Industries, Inc.
$54,750
Box truck, three cargo trailers, and promotional wraps to be used for donations at 16 Goodwill locations
Omaha
St. Philip Neri School
$1,650
Installation of a used dishwasher
Omaha
weCompost
$5,000
Purchase a box truck to pick up organic waste from Omaha residences and small businesses to be vermicomposted
Omaha
City of Omaha -- UnderTheSink HHW Facility
$275,000
Funds to operate the Under-The-Sink permanent household hazardous waste facility
Omaha
Baseball Omaha, LLC/Ropes Academy
$2,235
50% reimbursement of 22,693 pounds of crumb rubber
Omaha
Hamilton Heights Child Development Center
$460
25% reimbursement of playground mats
Omaha
Kingswood Athletic Association
$25,596
25% reimbursement of artificial turf for indoor baseball/football/softball
Omaha
Millard Athletic Association
$20,500
25% reimbursement of indoor artificial turf for baseball, football, and softball
Omaha
Omaha Public Schools
$153,598
25% reimbursement of 18 playgrounds
Omaha
St. Bernard's Catholic Church
$5,028
25% reimbursement of playground mats
Omaha
The Salvation Army Kroc Center
$8,500
25% reimbursement of artificial turf for indoor soccer field
Omaha
University of Nebraska-Omaha Board of Regents
$155,519
25% reimbursement of artificial turf soccer field with shock layer
Ord
Lower Loup Natural Resources District
$21,404
250-ton scrap tire cleanup for six counties
Osmond
Osmond Community School
$14,658
50% reimbursement of 103,350 pounds of playground rubber mulch
Pawnee City
Pawnee County
$7,174
80-ton scrap tire cleanup
Pender
Pender Public Schools
$5,017
25% reimbursement of playground mats
Peru
City of Peru
$2,154
25-ton scrap tire cleanup for the City of Peru
Peru
Peru State College
$86,490
25% reimbursement of artificial turf football field
Petersburg
Village of Petersburg
$3,936
50% reimbursement 27,300 pounds of playground rubber mulch
Pierce
Pierce County
$13,270
150-ton scrap tire cleanup
Pilger
Village of PIlger
$4,725
14' dump-box trailer for transporting scrap metal for recycling
Plattsmouth
Cass County Government
$80,900
Update Cass County's Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan. Also establish scrap metal recycling locations.
Plattsmouth
Plattsmouth Community Schools
$187,924
25% reimbursement of artificial turf football and baseball fields/shock layer & track
Ponca
Dixon County, Nebraska
$9,732
100-ton scrap tire cleanup
Ralston
Ralston Public Schools - Elementary Schools
$8,230
50% reimbursement of 39,800 pounds of playground rubber mulch
Ralston
Ralston Public Schools - High School
$2,389
25% reimbursement of poured-in-place surface
Ralston
St Gerald School
$10,090
50% reimbursement of 62,400 pounds of playground rubber mulch
Ravenna
City of Ravenna
$12,115
50% reimbursement of 104,000 pounds of playground rubber mulch
Red Cloud
Red Cloud Community Schools
$4,622
50% reimbursement of 20,010 pounds of playground rubber mulch
Schuyler
Keep Schuyler Beautiful
$3,500
Electronics collection event for citizens in Schuyler and Colfax County
Schuyler
City of Schuyler
$10,473
125-ton scrap tire cleanup for Colfax County
Schuyler
Keep Schuyler Beautiful
$359
25% reimbursement 6 benches
Schuyler
Schuyler Community Schools
$6,838
50% reimbursement of 48,750 pounds of playground rubber mulch
Scottsbluff
Keep Scottsbluff Gering Beautiful
$25,000
One HHW collection event and one pharmaceutical collection event plus recycling containers for schools and small businesses
Seward
Seward Saline Waste Mgmt.
$7,496
Recycling bin trailer for use in Seward-Saline County area
Seward
City of Seward
$3,004
50% reimbursement of 13,973 pounds of playground rubber mulch
Shelby
Shelby-Rising City Public School
$1,713
50% reimbursement of 11,700 pounds of playground rubber mulch
Shelton
Shelton Public School
$4,971
50% reimbursement of 46,680 pounds of playground rubber mulch
South Sioux City
Cubby Care Campus
$2,752
50% reimbursement of 15,600 pounds of playground rubber mulch
St. Paul
City of St. Paul
$905
50% reimbursement of 6,591 pounds of playground rubber mulch
Stapleton
Village of Stapleton
$23,740
200-ton scrap tire cleanup
Tecumseh
Johnson County
$8,352
100-ton scrap tire cleanup
Tecumseh
City of Tecumseh
$8,621
25% reimbursement of poured-in-place and benches; 50% reimbursement of mulch
Tecumseh
St. Andrew Catholic School
$3,610
25% reimbursement of poured-in-place playground surface
Tekamah
Cuming County
$43,000
500-ton scrap tire cleanup for ten counties
Thedford
Upper Loup Natural Resources District
$10,000
Purchase baler for paper & cardboard recycling
Wahoo
Saunders County Highway Department
$9,776
120-ton scrap tire cleanup
Wayne
City of Wayne
$2,970
Host an electronics recycling event
Wayne
Wayne County
$10,664
120-ton scrap tire cleanup
Wayne
City of Wayne
$2,660
25% reimbursement of bonded rubber poured-in-place
Wayne
Wayne State Foundation
$102,040
25% reimbursement of artificial turf football field
Wilber
Saline County
$18,105
225-ton scrap tire cleanup
Wilber
The Gingerbread House
$2,307
50% reimbursement of 7,800 pounds of playground rubber mulch
York
York Area Solid Waste Agency
$23,940
300-ton scrap tire cleanup for five counties