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We got everything that we asked for, stated Dana Stahl, KCCB director. It was a great experience.

A grant was also awarded to Plattsmouth Community Schools to fund a project at Plattsmouth Community School.

The NDEE is based in Lincoln and announced last week a number grants of nearly $6.8million to support 155 statewide programs.

These grants will be used to fund litter and waste reduction programs and recycling programs. Jim Macy, Director at NDEE, said that they will also pay for scrap tire cleanups as well as collections for electronic waste, household hazardous waste, and pharmaceuticals.

Macy stated that there were many outstanding applications to NDEE this past year. These grants will help local efforts to reduce litter, waste and cost-effectively dispose of many materials like household hazardous waste.

According to the NDEE grants came from its Waste Reduction and Recycling Incentive fund. This funds are generated by a fee on solid waste disposal in landfills and an annual fee for retail business sales and a fee on the sale of tires. Local integrated waste management projects can receive grants, which may include recycling systems, household hazardous material collections, and composting.

2022 saw 27 projects totaling $2.167,173 funded by the Business Fee or Disposal Fee categories.

The NDEE announced that KCCB received $1,800 under the Business Category for Educational Materials and to host four electronic waste recycling events in this year’s.

Scrap Tire funds are part of the Waste Reduction and Recycling Incentive programs. They are generated from a 1 fee on new Nebraska tires. In 2022, 77 grants worth $2,332,563 each were awarded. These grants will be used to fund 33 scrap tire cleanup events in Nebraska.

According to the NDEE, enough funding was granted to clean up 8,695 tonnes of scrap tires. Funds will also partially reimburse the cost for many products made from recycled tires, including artificial turf football, softball fields, athletic running tracks, and playground surfacing.

Plattsmouth Community Schools was awarded a $29,266 grant as a 25% reimbursement for a new track at Plattsmouth Community middle School.

Dr. Richard Hasty, Plattsmouth Superintendent, said that Nebraska scrap tires were required for our Plattsmouth Middle School track construction in order to receive 25 percent reimbursement through the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy. This is the same approach we used to resurface our track in Plattsmouth High School a few years back. It is a great benefit to our school district to receive reimbursement for projects on our campuses, especially in difficult budget times.

The NDEEs Litter Reduction and Recycling funds are funded from a fee paid to certain manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers of products that often contribute to litter. Since 1979, the program has provided grants each year.

In 2022 51 litter grants totaling 2,179,271 were given in the public education and cleanup categories.

Through a variety of community and school activities, public education programs educate citizens regarding litter reduction and recycling.

Cleanup grants can be used to fund Nebraska-based organizations that have volunteers who clean up litter and debris from the state’s roads, waterways and urban areas. The NDEE stated that litter removal improves public areas and that much of the material collected can be recycled.

Recycling programs offer an alternative to solid waste disposal in Nebraska’s landfills. Programs that promote the purchase of recycled products or markets for them are given priority.

The NDEE stated that KCCB received a $1,200 cleanup grant to clean up 12 miles of the county’s 60 acres.

KCCB was also granted a $58,856 public education award to help provide education and resources for litter prevention. KCCB plans on focusing on these issues during presentations to six school districts and youth group, an environmental fair open to 300 fifth-graders, and other public events.

Stahl stated that although KCCB does receive financial assistance from the county and donors, the majority of its funding comes from these grants.

These grants are essential for us to function, and not for very long, she stated.

Stahl said that she will be teaching litter prevention lessons to preschoolers through eighth graders starting next week through April. She explained that litter prevention is taught in spring and recycling education is taught in the fall.

According to the NDEE grants applications for 2023 are expected to be available in early summer 2022. Check its website or contact [email protected] for more information.