Ecomaine seeks school recycling program proposals

Portland, Maine-based Ecomaine is calling upon schools in its member communities to propose projects focused on waste diversion for up to $5,000 in funding for the 2023-24 school year.

“Projects that focus on waste reduction or reuse, recycling or composting are eligible for consideration for awards from the total pool of $30,000,” says the organization, which oversees waste and recycling management in in 73 Maine communities. The deadline for proposals is May 12.

Matt Grondin, Ecomaine director of communications and public affairs, says school recycling programs still are recovering from the impact of earlier COVID-19 restrictions.

“The pandemic has wreaked havoc on every area of education,” he says. “Recycling, composting, and waste management are no exceptions. We hear from students, teachers and staff that these are important parts of school life and the learning process to them, so we hope that schools in our communities will see this as an opportunity to re-invest in sustainability strategies.”

Schools, from prekindergarten to secondary education and afterschool programs, from Ecomaine’s communities can submit a proposal here. 

Past grant proposals have included purchasing in-school recycling bins and educational resources, offsetting compost hauling fees, litter cleanups and installing water bottle-filling stations to reduce plastic bottle consumption. 

Criteria Ecomaine is looking for include project outline and school commitment; ease of project replication; demonstration of waste reduction, reuse, recycling or composting strategies; likelihood of success and program sustainability; and how compelling and worthy the project funding is, overall.