Eight counties | 36 cities | one region

ST. JAMES—Twelve local environmental programs will be awarded grant funding, totaling $186,685.10 by Ozark Rivers Solid Waste Management District, (ORSWMD) pending final approval from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MDNR).

Each year, the ORSWMD board meets for a full day to review, discuss and approve grant applications. The goal of the grants is to support programs that reduce waste through recycling, composting or educational efforts. Once approved by the ORSWMD board, the grants are forwarded to MDNR for final approval before being awarded. This year, the board approved to partially fund 12 of 13 grant applications.

ORSWMD will award the following projects, pending approval from MDNR, for 2016:

· MRPC-Rolla-St. Robert for Household Hazardous Waste Collections, $35,687.68;
· MRPC-Special waste collections (appliance, ewaste, tires), $25,047.60;
· MRPC-Education, Public Awareness and Business Outreach, $35,523.57;
· Maries County recycling for environmental excellence, $7,272;
· Dixon Area Caring Center, $20,560;
· Phelps County Tough on Trash X, $11,900;
· The Curators of the University of Missouri, $10,000;
· Kaleidoscope Discovery Center, $5,000;
· St. Robert/Waynesville Intergovernmental Educational Recycling Program, $11,487.64;
· City of St. James; $9,916.61
· Dixon High School – The Choice is Yours – Waste it or Recycle it, $7,690; and
· Edutainer: In-the Green Production Presents Jack Kauffmann, $6,600.

In addition, the ORSWMD board approved various extensions and final closeouts for grants ending December 2015.

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 MDNR, involves intense education and increased recycling efforts in member counties and cities.

Those needing more information on recycling can contact Tammy Snodgrass, environmental programs manager, at 573-265-2993 or by email at tsnodgrass@meramecregion.org.