SACRAMENTO, Calif. /California Newswire/ — To confront a surge of pandemic-fueled, single-use trash pollution and a global climate crisis, California is investing $25 million in local communities to modernize recycling systems. Long-term upgrades from our disposable economy to one centered on reuse and in-state remanufacturing could create over 100,000 much-needed new jobs, CalRecycle enounced today.
“As the world’s fifth-largest economy, California can show the world how to rebuild into a self-sustaining, circular manufacturing system that reduces trash pollution and ensures products get recycled and remanufactured within our state,” California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) Director Rachel Machi Wagoner said. “The investments also boost small businesses, create income, and lower landfill pollutants that disproportionately impact the health of disadvantaged communities.”
Forging a California Future with Less Pollution
CalRecycle invests grant and loan funding into public and private sector trash reduction and recycling infrastructure. Funds also support reuse or remanufacturing used products and packaging.
$10.4 Million – Recycling Plastic, Glass, and Clothing to Make New Products
Six California businesses will receive $10.4 million to expand facilities or purchase equipment to turn 27,570 tons of recycled plastic, glass, and clothing into new products. Find the list of grant recipients online.
- CalRecycle’s Recycled Fiber, Plastic, and Glass Grant Program is part of California Climate Investments, a statewide initiative that puts billions of Cap-and-Trade dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, strengthening the economy, and improving public health and the environment—particularly in disadvantaged communities.
- Manufacturing products from recycled material conserves resources and reduces climate pollutants created from the processing of virgin raw materials.
- Awarded projects will reduce climate emissions equal to taking 6,862 cars off the road for a year.
$9.5 Million – Keeping Bottles and Cans Out of the Ocean, Waterways, Streets, and Landfills
Four hundred California cities and counties will receive over $9.5 million to increase local beverage container recycling and litter cleanup of the estimated 24 billion California Redemption Value (CRV) beverage containers sold in the state each year. Find the list of grant recipients online.
- CalRecycle’s Beverage Container Recycling City/County Payment Program is a population-based grant awarded yearly to cities and counties.
- Californians recycled more than 426 billion bottles and cans since the passage of the California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act in 1986.
$3.7 Million – Recycling Tires to Repair Local Roadways
Twenty-one California communities will receive more than $3.7 million in infrastructure funding to repair local roads using some of the roughly 51 million waste tires generated in the state each year. Find the list of grant recipients online here, and here.
- CalRecycle’s Rubberized Pavement Grant Program conserves resources and decreases environmental hazards created by illegal waste tire disposal and stockpiling, such as hard-to-extinguish tire fires that give off toxic smoke.
- Turning recycled tires into rubberized pavement reduces costs for local governments, since the material can usually be half as thick as conventional asphalt overlays, and last up to 50 percent longer.
$2 Million – Replacing Single-Use, Disposable Products with Reusable Products
Four California businesses and nonprofits received $2 million to prevent over 13,000 tons of plastic, glass, and wood waste from filling California landfills through increased manufacturing and use of refillable or reusable products. Find the list of grant recipients online.
- CalRecycle’s Reuse Grant Program is part of California Climate Investments, a statewide initiative that puts billions of Cap-and-Trade dollars to work reducing GHG emissions, strengthening the economy, and improving public health and the environment—particularly in disadvantaged communities.
- Demand for Reuse Grant funding is high. Nearly 40 organizations submitted applications in the four categories of Refillables, Food Service Ware, Transport Packaging, and Wood.
Additional Funding Available
As California rebuilds into a thriving, less-polluting economy, recycling manufacturers, cities, counties, haulers, and businesses can access millions of dollars in public and private funding for infrastructure to reduce trash and cut climate pollutants in their communities while providing local jobs and boosts to small businesses.
CalRecycle provides oversight of California solid waste handling and recycling program to protect human health, develop sustainable solutions that conserve resources and reduce greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. LEARN MORE: https://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/
