For immediate release
For more information, contact
Jill Hollowell at (573) 265-2993
Ozark Rivers announces 2018 grant round for solid waste education, recycling projects
ST. JAMES—The Ozark Rivers Solid Waste Management District (ORSWMD) is accepting grant applications for the 2018 grant round. Grant applications are due by noon on Friday, Aug. 18.
A workshop to fully explain the grant application requirements and what an award of an Ozark Rivers grant will entail is scheduled from 10 a.m. to noon on July 26 at the Meramec Regional Planning Commission (MRPC) office, 4 Industrial Drive, St. James MO. This workshop ensures that potential grantees know the benefits and obligations should they receive funding for their projects.
While the exact figure is not yet known, the board expects to award approximately $160,000 in grants that help reduce the amount of waste going to landfills. Projects must be located or benefit the Ozark Rivers district, which includes the counties of Crawford, Dent, Gasconade, Maries, Phelps, Pulaski and Washington counties.
Funds are available for businesses, schools, non-profit organizations, counties and cities that will:
- Develop new or improve recycling programs that will reduce the generation of solid waste,
- Will create new markets or improve markets for recovered materials, or
- Will improve the handling of items banned by MO law from landfills.
In its most recent grant round, ORSWMD awarded $200,729 to fund or partially fund 11 projects throughout the seven-county area. These projects included education programs, illegal dump cleanups throughout the region, school and city recycling programs, continued support of the household hazardous waste collection sites in Rolla and St. Robert and special collections for electronics, appliances and tires.
The grant dollars awarded by Ozark Rivers comes through the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and represent a portion of the landfill tipping fees collected in the district.
The grant application is available online at www.ozarkrivers.org. For more information, contact Jill Hollowell at jhollowell@meramecregion.org or by calling 573-265-2993.
The Ozark Rivers District includes Crawford, Dent, Gasconade, Maries, Phelps, Pulaski and Washington counties and their respective cities with populations of 500 or more. The district’s strategy for solid waste reduction, which has been individually adopted by all member governments and approved by Missouri Department of Natural Resources involves education and public awareness and increased recycling efforts in member counties and cities. MRPC provides administration of the district and assists with a variety of implementation projects.
For more information about ORSWMD or waste reduction and recycling opportunities in the Ozark Rivers area, follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ORSWMD or visit our website at www.ozarkrivers.org. Additional questions can be answered by contacting Tammy Snodgrass, MRPC environmental programs manager, at 573-265-2993 or by email at tsnodgrass@meramecregion.org.
Formed in 1969, MRPC is a voluntary council of governments serving Crawford, Dent, Gasconade, Maries, Osage, Phelps, Pulaski and Washington counties and their respective cities. A professional staff of 23, directed by the MRPC board, offers technical assistance and services, such as grant preparation and administration, housing assistance, transportation planning, environmental planning, ordinance codification, business loans and other services to member communities.
To keep up with the latest MRPC news and events, visit the MRPC website at www.meramecregion.orgor on Facebook at www.facebook.com/meramecregion/.