In July 2007, the Hamilton County Solid Waste Management District (District) was awarded a Special Assistance Grant from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Recycling & Litter Prevention. This program provides funding in the form of Community Development and Market Development Grants. The District was awarded $250,000 which will be passed through to Cincinnati Bulk Terminal, a carpet and padding recycler, so that they may purchase capital equipment to implement a carpet recycling program. The District received Market Development Grant funding in previous years which was passed through to Technology Recycling Group, a local computer and electronics recycler, and Cincinnati Paperboard, a paperboard manufacturer.

ODNR provides grants each year to allow Ohio manufacturing entities to expand their utilization of recovered materials in production processes. Private sector entities wishing to access these grants are required to apply through their local solid waste management district. Ohio's local governments and sponsored businesses can apply for projects to develop the infrastructure for the collection, processing, and development of markets for recyclables or to implement special litter collection projects.

ODNR requires applicants to target a particular list of recyclable materials generated in Ohio. The target materials can change from year to year. The 2008 target list is as follows:

• Carpet and padding

• Construction and demolition debris

• Deconstruction material

• Electronics

• Glass

• Office paper

• Old corrugated cardboard

• Old newsprint

• Organic (food and fiber-based) material

• Plastic

FUNDING CRITERIA
These competitive grant awards will be made based on ten factors:

1. Demonstration of positive economic and environmental impact on regional or statewide audiences and/or targeted material markets.

2. Assurances that the project will accomplish stated goals and the established methods can be used as a standard for similar projects.

3. Potential for evolution into a permanent service or program without future external funding.

4. Applicant's past performance in grant administration and project management, if applicable.

5. Consistency with the strategic goals of the local solid waste management plan.

6. Qualifies as a targeted project and addresses at least one of the grant program's targeted materials.

7. Financial need of the applicant.

8. Availability of funding.

9. Submission of required forms and comprehensive responses to all applicable questions.

GRANT CYCLE
Typically, ODNR announces grant application availability in November each year, with the application due date in early February. You can stay abreast of ODNR’s announcements by visiting their website: http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/Home/Grants/2008CommunityMarketDevelopmentGrant/tabid/19435/Default.aspx. Interested businesses should make contact with their local solid waste management district to discuss the program. In Hamilton County, contact Catherine Walsh at (513) 946-7732 or by email at catherine.walsh@hamilton-co.org.