Solid Waste & Recycling Newsletter

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation sent this bulletin on 08/15/2019 09:50 AM EDT
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
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Solid Waste & Recycling Newsletter 

DEC Now Accepting Online Applications for Recycling Education, Coordination, Promotion, and Planning Grants

DEC administers funding to support municipal waste reduction and recycling (MWRR) efforts in New York State.

Under revised regulations (6 NYCRR Subpart 369-3), approximately $4.5 million will be  available in 2019 for new grants to assist local governments to pay for recycling education, coordination, promotion and planning (RECPP). RECPP funding will reimburse up to 50 percent of eligible "soft costs" of recycling and waste prevention.

Eligible projects include:

  • Costs of salary for a municipal recycling coordinator
  • Publications
  • Education and outreach tools
  • Recycling advertising
  • Recycling websites
  • Promotional items

DEC will be accepting applications during the months of August, September, and October 2019 for projects to be completed during January - December 2020. Applications will be approved for funding November and December of 2019. 

Submit your application no later than 3 p.m. October 31, 2019 through the New York State Grants Gateway.

Running Away from Waste!

Running is a great way to get active and see all that New York has to offer. From wooded bike paths to beach boardwalks, city parks and wilderness trails, there are plenty of beautiful places to get some running miles in. And with world renowned road races of all lengths taking place in cities across New York, there's never been a better time to pound the pavement in search of that personal record.

While running has a relatively low environmental sneakerprint, we can still make strides in minimizing our impact and waste:

  • Use a reusable water bottle
  • Donate or Recycle Your Shoes and Clothing: Runners go through a lot of shoes. And we've all gotten a rip or stain on our favorite shirt. Make sure to donate or recycle them properly over throwing them away. Often times, shoes and clothing in any condition can be recycled in special programs as long as they're clean, dry and odorless. Just remember - textiles require separate recycling programs and cannot be recycled in household recycling programs with plastic, metal, glass, and paper. Find a textile donation or recycling point near you!
  • Get Gear with Recycled Content: Purchasing clothing, shoes, and water bottles made with recycled content increases the market for recycled products and lowers the impact of producing them.
  • Carpool, Drive Electric, or Arrange Group Travel to the Race: The largest environmental impact of running is traveling to where you're going to run. Cut down on this by carpooling, driving an electric vehicle, or arranging group travel through a running club or group.
  • Use Concentrated Sports Drinks: Many sports drinks now come in concentrated versions that you can mix with water in your reusable water bottle to go. Concentrated versions allow you to make your own drink of any size while reducing your plastic consumption from continuously buying full size sport drinks.
  • Use Magnets to Attach your Race Bib: Rather than picking up safety pins that come with every race bib, get a set of reusable race magnets to hold your race bib in place or reuse safety pins from a previous race.
  • Make a Collage of your Bibs: Instead of throwing your race bibs away after a race, make a collage or art piece out of them to showcase your achievements.
  • Challenge the norm: Encourage local race organizers to reduce waste generated from post-race giveaways and refreshments and to properly recycle and compost waste that is generated.  

Upcoming Events

Conferences, Workshops & Webinars

Funding Opportunities - Application Deadlines

We Want To Hear From You!

Is there a topic you'd like to learn more about or a public event or workshop related to recycling (organics, textiles, traditional recyclables, etc.) you'd like the greater community to know more about? E-mail us at: organicrecycling@dec.ny.gov