Harrisburg – May 7, 2014 – A $171,783 grant to aid the recycling program in The City of Arnold in Westmoreland County was approved by the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), according to state Sen. James Brewster (D-McKeesport)
“The grant program provides funding for recycling programs and municipalities and counties are eligible for up to 90 percent of program costs,” Brewster said. “For many years, this recycling law has helped communities operate their programs and make Pennsylvania’s approach a success.
“Officials in Arnold will be able to use the grant funds to help continue paying for the reduction of material from the waste stream.”
The grants are made available via Act 101 which passed the General Assembly in 1988. This law — the Municipal Waste Planning, Recycling and Waste Reduction Act — funds eligible projects including compost facility operations, expansion of recycling programs, curbside recycling and the crafting of educational materials an information that promotes recycling.
“There is no question that Act 101 has helped clean the environment and promote better solid waste management efforts throughout Pennsylvania,” Brewster said.
According to the DEP, there have been 54 funding rounds since the act was passed. The act mandates recycling in municipalities based on total population and population density.
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