Awards up to $10,000 offered to reduce landfilled waste
The Wake County Division of Solid Waste & Recycling is encouraging local businesses, educational institutions and nonprofit organizations to apply for a grant of up to $10,000 to help us divert waste from the landfill.
“Through our Waste Prevention Grant Program, we hope to provide financial assistance to people with a vision to make a positive impact on the environment so that they can make their vision a reality,” said Wake County Commissioner Shinica Thomas. “The county’s environmental health is all of our responsibility, and we want all residents to be intentional about reducing the amount of trash being landfilled.”
Applications are being accepted now through Nov. 14. All applicants must be located in Wake County. Grants range in value from $1,000–$10,000 and must be used to create a project that will encourage activities including reducing waste and increasing recycling, reuse of durable goods and composting. Projects should have a measurable impact and must be completed within 12 months, but extensions can be made.
The County created video interviews with last year’s recipients to allow future applicants to get ideas for what successful campaigns could look like. Each of the 2024 grantees received $10,000 grants for a diverse array of projects:
- Wakefield High School’s DECA club developed a composting program, collecting food waste from their cafeteria and nearby businesses to make compost to sell, helping to raise funds for travel expenses for students for DECA competitions.
- MyMatR built an artificial intelligence-enabled receptacle that sorts trash and recycling and tells users if they disposed of their materials correctly.
- El Centro Hispano created a workplace recycling program and a Spanish-language recycling campaign to help the communities they serve better understand where and how to recycle materials across the county.
Potential applicants can register for a free webinar to learn more about the program by contacting Bianca Howard at bianca.howard@wake.gov. Webinars will be offered on the following dates and times:
- Friday, Sept. 5, 12–12:45 p.m.
- Thursday, Sept. 11, 7–7:45 a.m.
- Monday, Sept. 15, 4–4:45 p.m.
The Waste Reduction Grant Program has awarded various organizations financial assistance to promote waste reduction since 2004. For additional information about the program, expectations of grantees and awards, please visit wake.gov/waste-prevention-grants.
