According to its employees, an Indianapolis company is not only saving the earth but also saving lives.
RecycleForceIt is a local non-profit that recycles electronic waste. It also hires people who have been in prison and provides training and support. Federal grants will allow the organization to expand its reach and reach more people.
The U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyThis month’s announcementRecycleForce, the only recipient from Indiana, was one of 19 organizations selected across the country to receive $3.8 million. These grants are worth approximately $200,000 each and are part of President Joe Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
We have problems around the country, and the world, and once you have these credentials, you can make the world safe and healthier for everyone,” Janet McCabe was the Deputy Administrator of the EPA at a Friday RecycleForce event.
McCabe, who is a Hoosier, was named by Biden to the No. 2 spot at EPA. She lives about five minutes away from RecycleForces eastside facility. She has often brought her old computers and phones there to recycle.
McCabe visited the facility Friday with Mayor Joe Hogsett, and Jim McGoff, the director of environmental programs at the Indiana Finance Authority. They were joined by several dozen employees from the company to celebrate and share the announcement.
McCabe stated that it is very satisfying to see federal money come to her hometown. Hogsett stated that he is happy to see money return from Washington to Indianapolis, and that the dollars will help a lot of people.
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This funding is part EPAs Brownfields Job Training Grants, which offer residents from historically polluted or neglected communities the chance to obtain skills and certifications that will help them secure environmental work.
This is exactly what RecycleForce does since its inception in 2006. It’s not only a great way to recycle, but it’s also a great way to help the environment. Re-entry society members are hiredAfter being released from prison, it offers programs to help employees learn how to respond to emergency situations and clean up hazardous waste.
These skills and positions are highly sought-after, according to McCabe and RecycleForce president Gregg Keesling. Keesling says that more than 150 employees have achieved hazardous waste certification at the highest level and almost all have been offered long-term jobs.
RecycleForce will now be able expand its training program to reach more people, starting in October with the federal grant.
Keesling stated that this EPA grant is in line with our efforts to increase the workforce for these environmentally-related jobs.
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These are the exact skills that are required to clean up brownfield sites, which is a land area that has either potential or actual contamination and poses a risk for human health. There are more that 2,500. Brownfield sites in IndianaSeveral hundred of them are located in Indianapolis.
These sites are often left inactive due to concerns over liability and cleanup. But by having more people trained in this work, these sites could be cleaned and redeveloped,providing both job opportunities and economic growth, McCabe said.
RecycleForce is available Ground was broken on a new facilityThe new headquarters will employ 600 people and will recycle 12,000,000 pounds of electronic waste each year, doubling its capabilities. The new headquarters will be built on land that was once home to a manufacturing facility and must be cleaned up.
Rodney Francis, EmployIndy board member and Rodney Francis of EmployIndy, said that RecycleForce is a great cause. He stated that the reentry population is one the fastest-growing segments of the workforce. This gives them an opportunity.
Francis said that RecycleForce is a treasure to our community and we are excited for the EPA.
Keesling says they still need help. RecycleForce can train these people and they have plenty of job opportunities. However, they often face barriers to accepting them because they require movement and travel outside of the permitted zone of their parole.
Keesling stated that these individuals could do so many more for the community and clean up the environment. However, they aren’t able get out and use their certifications.
Keesling stated, “This training gives them access that criminal justice system otherwise stands in the way of.”
He said that he hopes the grant will start the conversation on how to maximize these funds for both those who are being trained and for the communities and neighborhoods affected by legacy pollution. He hopes that the program can be spread throughout Indiana to help those who have been in prison and capture the electronic waste that currently ends in landfills.
$30 million will be allocated to Brownfields Job Training grants in the next five-years as part of the Bipartisan infrastructure Law. This year’s recipients include organizations from New York, California and Alaska. RecycleForce is part the first wave of funding. However, EPA expects to award 50 additional grants next year.
Sarah Bowman, IndyStar reporter at 317-44-6129, or email at [email protected]. Follow her on TwitterAnd Facebook: @IndyStarSarah. Connect with IndyStars environmental journalists:Join Facebook’s Scrub.
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