Indiana awards $2M to expand the state’s recycling economy

Indiana’s Recycling Market Development Board has awarded six organizations with $2 million in grant funding to expand the state’s recycling economy.

The Recycling Market Development Program was established in the early 1990s to better manage solid waste by developing markets for recycled materials. Six organizations received grant funding totaling $2 million to expand recycling and waste management in the state.

The joint effort represents more than $4.8 million in expected total investments that will benefit the environment and the economy, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) says. These projects intend to increase the amount of recycling for organic waste, plastic film and curbside residential recycling, including plastic containers and glass. By doing so, IDEM says an additional 42,000 tons per year of materials will be reused in Indiana’s circular economy. 

Numerous entities received grants:

• Frankfort Plastics Inc., Frankfort, Indiana, received $500,000 to purchase a densifying line and eddy current separator to increase the processing capacity of low-grade plastic film in preparation for chemical recycling. This investment will divert approximately 3,300 additional tons of material from landfills per year, IDEM says.  
• Indianapolis Airport Authority (IAA), Indianapolis, received $181,538 to purchase new dual-stream recycling and waste receptacles to improve recycling participation at the airport. The IAA anticipates the new receptacles will allow it to achieve a 15 percent recycling rate, resulting in an estimated 273 tons of recycled materials diverted from landfills per year.  
• Waste Management of Indiana LLC, Indianapolis, received $500,000 towards the purchase of glass recycling equipment to recover, clean and divert 23,400 tons of glass per year from its single-stream recycling operations.
• Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, received $69,080 to purchase a tractor and windrow turner to expand its composting operation capacity by allowing it to include additional organic materials. The new equipment will allow the university to divert an average of 90 additional tons of organic waste from landfills per year, IDEM says.
• Richmond Sanitary District, Richmond, Indiana, received $249,382 towards the purchase of a compactor and baler to expand its list of recyclable materials to include plastic polypropylene (PP) containers (no. 3-7) and provide additional curbside recycling services to neighboring communities. In addition, the district will use part of the funds towards an education and outreach campaign to market its services to more communities. The city is expected to increase diversion from landfills by an additional 120 tons in the first year.
• Smith Creek Inc., Borden, Indiana, received $500,000 towards depackaging equipment and site improvements that will allow it to process packaged food waste from grocery store chains and prepare it for composting. The project would divert an estimated 15,600 tons of food waste from landfills per year and enhance the quality of the soil amendments and compost produced at its facility, IDEM says.