Ozark Rivers Solid Waste Management District (ORSWMD) will host a pre-application grant workshop from 10 a.m. to noon Aug. 4 at Meramec Regional Planning Commission (MRPC), to share information on the district’s grant process.
Local governments, businesses, schools and individuals seeking to establish or improve local waste management programs are encouraged to attend.
The purpose of the district’s grant program is to reduce the volume of waste being landfilled through recycling, waste reduction, education and resource recovery.
The workshop will be located at MRPC, 4 Industrial Drive, St. James 65559.
ORSWMD has a history of successful grant projects. Last year, $196,000 in district grants was allocated to fully or partially fund 13 solid waste programs in the district’s seven-county region. Projects ranged from business and school-based recycling programs in Cuba, Waynesville and Dixon, household hazardous waste collection sites in Rolla and St. Robert and special collections for electronics, appliances and tires.
Successful 2015 grant recipients included Dixon High School and Wallis Oil Company. Dixon High School incorporated recycling into Key Club activities. In addition to weekly recycling activities at school, students pick up telephone books, shredded paper and recyclables from local businesses.
Wallis Companies, a petroleum distributor in Cuba, is using a district grant to better manage outgoing waste. The company was awarded $7,000 in grant funds to purchase a recycling trailer and bins with the goal of recycling 9.87 tons of waste by December 2015. A company employee volunteered to deliver recyclable goods to the Rolla Recycling Center twice a month.
To date, the company has recycled eight tons of cardboard, mixed paper, plastics and glass.
Grant applications must be submitted by noon on Aug. 28 at Meramec Regional Planning Commission (MRPC) in St. James. For more informat ion, contact Jill Hollowell at jhollowell@meramecregion.org or call 573-265-2993.
ORSWMD 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 and opportunities in member counties and cities. MRPC handles the day-to-day administration for Ozark Rivers.
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 21, 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.org or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/meramecregion.