Department of Environment & Conservation
Robert Martineau, Commissioner

The Department of Environment and Conservation provides grants to several organizations to provide technical assistance for the local governments. These organizations provide assistance in specifications, layout, marketing, waste reduction, beneficial end use development, best management practices and various GIS applications. Grants supporting these organizations come from the Solid Waste Management Fund and the Used Oil Collection Fund.

Recycling Rebates

Each year the top eleven county generators of municipal solid waste are offered recycling rebates to buy recycling equipment and generally promote recycling in the county. Municipalities are offered a portion of the rebate. The municipalities may allow their portion to be deferred to the county. There is a 1:1 matching of funds for this rebate.

T.C.A. § 68-211-825 (b) For the eleven (11) counties which generate the greatest amount of solid waste as recorded in the University of Tennessee's solid waste management report of February 1991 to the commissioner of environment and conservation, under a technical assistance contract pursuant to part 6 of this chapter, or as subsequently modified by data provided by subsequent annual reports required by § 68-211-871, the state shall grant a rebate against the amount due to the state under the state surcharge on the tipping fee imposed by this part. The state will rebate the amount of a county's credit to the county on an annual basis. The total amount of credits shall not exceed an amount equal to one hundred fifty percent (150%) of the funds allocated for recycling equipment grants. The rebate for any one (1) of the eleven (11) counties shall be determined pursuant to the following formula:

(tons of the county's solid waste) divided by
(total tons of solid waste collected from all eleven (11) counties)

multiplied by
150% of state funds allocated for recycling grants

Such rebate shall be in lieu of recycling equipment grants for these eleven (11) counties. Within a county, the rebate shall be allocated proportionately by population among the municipalities in the county which provide collection or disposal services and the county for the remaining population of the county. A county or municipality may only expend such rebate for recycling purposes and they must expend from local funds an amount equal to the amount of the rebate towards such purposes.

Development Districts

Each year the nine development districts submit work plans that will assist the regions in solid waste planning. Available grants range from $50,000 to $75,000 per fiscal year based on the work plans submitted to the department. This is a non-matching Grant

University of Tennessee Center for Industrial Service (UT-CIS)

The Center for Industrial Services non-competitive grant helps the state find new and innovative ways of working with industry to provide waste reduction. Each year the department awards approximately $247,000 a year to the center to promote waste reduction activities. Recent projects include the use of gypsum board and strand board as soil amendments. This project showed a quantifiable increase in yield with crops planted in fields amended by these materials.

University of Tennessee County Technical Assistance Service (UT-CTAS)

The University of Tennessee County Technical Assistance Service grant is a yearly non-competitive grant that funds technical assistance to local governments. Currently three consultants are funded by the $341,000 per year grant. Activities funded  by this grant include facility layout, equipment specification, best management practices development, GIS mapping and route design to name a few.

These grants are provided under:

T.C.A. § 68-211-822 From available funds in the solid waste management fund established by § 68-211-821, the department may award annual grants to the University of Tennessee county technical assistance service, the University of Tennessee municipal technical advisory service, the development districts and the department of economic and community development's division of local planning. Upon receiving such grant funds, these agencies shall render technical assistance to regions, counties and municipalities as needed in the development of the plan required by this part.

 

Recycling Market Cooperative of Tennessee (RMCT)

Annually the department awards a grant to the Recycling Market Cooperative of Tennessee of RMCT to assist local governments in the marketing of their collected recycling commodities. This grant is funded out of the Solid Waste Management Fund in the amount of $78,000 per year. Activities relating to the marketing and the improvement of marketing of commodities are funded by this grant. This grant has helped local governments get the maximum dollar for marketed commodities. RMCT also provides assistance in suggesting methodology and equipment selection to meet the quality standards sought by commodity markets. Other activities funded by this grant include the marketing one day collection events for electronics and marketing of industrial overruns.

These grants are provided under:

T.C.A. § 68-211-826 (a) From funds available from the solid waste management fund, the department of economic and community development shall establish an office of cooperative marketing for recyclables. 
(b) The duties of the office of cooperative marketing for recyclables include:
(1) Preparing and maintaining a directory of regional buyers, which shall include current information on product specifications, markets and price ranges;
(2) Preparing and maintaining a directory of public and private, for profit and nonprofit recycling programs;
(3) Collecting information on the quantity and quality of materials offered for sale by recycling programs;
(4) Assisting counties in contract negotiation;
(5) Creating a data base for and operating an interactive information clearinghouse and marketing service, which shall include pricing information; and
(6) Maintaining an inventory of available quantities, qualities and locations of recyclable materials in Tennessee, and marketing such sites to industries which can utilize available materials.

Middle Tennessee University - WaterWorks!

The used oil fund provides funding for a grant with the Middle Tennessee University WaterWorks!. An organization dedicated to providing clean water for Tennesseeans. Through the used oil grant, WaterWorks! has developed programs to keep used oil from entering the streams and lakes of Tennessee. This is a one-time non-competitive grant in the amount $1,143,161.00.

These grants are provided under:

T.C.A. § 68-211-1005 (5) The department may award grants to develop and implement educational programs to encourage proper handling, disposal and recycling of used oil.

Unique Grant with Knox County

A unique grant has been established with Knox County to help design an electronic method of handling waste tire manifests. This grant, in the amount of $30,000, will help the Department of Environment and Conservation along with Knox County establish a paperless method of managing waste tire manifests and a protocol for delivering these electronic manifests to the State. The Department has hopes of implementing this pilot program in the counties that handle the most number of waste tires and in the two tire hubs.

Waste Reduction Grant

In the past and when funding is available, competitive waste reduction grants have been offered in amounts up to $200,000. Local governments and non-profits interested in this grant had a 10%-50% match based on economic and population. The grant's purpose is to improve waste reduction efforts within the region. Many local governments used this grant to provide infrastructure improvements including material recovery facilities, roll-off trucks, equipment, structural improvements, and other key items to improve the overall diversion rate for the government. Waste reduction grants are not planned in the immediate future due to funding constraints.

For more information about Solid Waste Grant Assistance please contact us.