The Recycling Resources Economic Opportunity (RREO) Program provides funding that promotes economic development through the management of materials that would otherwise be landfilled. Funds are available to support recycling, composting, anaerobic digestion, source reduction, and beneficial use/reuse.
Donor Name: Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment
State: Colorado
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 01/05/2023
Size of the Grant: $50,000
Grant Duration: 1 year
Details:
The purpose of this Request for Applications (RFA) is to fund projects, sustainable beyond the grant period that will enhance the financial viability of recycling, composting, reuse, repurposing, and waste reduction in Colorado and will create new jobs in the state. Preventing waste before it is created is the most effective reduction method (reduce), followed by reuse, and recycle. In addition to waste diversion projects, this RFA encourages applications with a focus on reducing contamination. This is the 15th funding cycle for this RFA.
Grants are available to qualified applicants whose proposals reduce waste or increase diversion through one of the following strategies (in no particular order):
- Reduce the use of materials by replacing disposable materials and products with reusable materials and products, reducing packaging, and eliminating the creation of waste.
- Increase the participation rate, material recovery rate, or hauling capacity of an existing program. For example, existing programs may be modified to incorporate a Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT) pricing structure or include commercial or multifamily housing recycling/composting service. Conducting community outreach on recycling or composting guidelines would be an essential component to the project’s scope.
- Reduce the amount of residual contamination and improve the quality of baled materials by installing additional sorting equipment at an existing material recovery facility, such as an optical sorter.
- Install equipment and/or retrofit existing facilities that will create a safer and more efficient operation, including improvements in how materials are prepared for transport to end-markets, such as transitioning from a vertical baler to a horizontal baler.
- Expand end-markets for recycled products and material reuse in Colorado.
- Expand collection programs that support food rescue and minimize food waste.
- Educating and informing the public about waste diversion. This includes incorporating elements of community based social marketing (CBSM). CBSM maintains that the creation of long-term or permanent behavioral change involves person-to-person contact and counters the argument that using media alone to provide information will result in substantial change. Employing concepts drawn from social psychology, CBSM defines clear steps to accomplishing lasting and quantifiable change in human behavior.
Funding Information
- The budget is approximately $2 million dollars. While the actual amount of grant awards may vary depending on the number of qualified applications, applicants must request a minimum of $50,000 in grant funds to be eligible. CDPHE may announce a separate RREO funding opportunity for projects that require less than $50,000 to be implemented.
- All projects are funded for a duration of no more than one fiscal year. There will be two funding options available for this RFA. The full term of the contracts will be longer for monitoring and reporting purposes as deemed necessary by CDPHE.
- Option 1 (Standard option): Option 1 will have funding available from July 2023 through June 30, 2024. The term of the project may be shorter if there are delays in executing a contract. All funds must be spent and the project fully implemented by June 30, 2024. Any grant funds not spent by the awardee by June 30, 2024 will be forfeited.
- Option 2: Funding for this option will be available from July 2024 through June 30, 2025. The contract will be estimated to begin in July 2023 with some work related to the project taking place during the first year of the contract. This option will allow for applicants to conduct permitting, planning, infrastructure requirements, etc., within the first year of the contract. Reimbursements will begin after July 1, 2024, provided milestone deliverables have been met. All funds must be spent and the project fully implemented by June 30, 2025. Any grant funds not spent by the awardee by June 30, 2025 will be forfeited.
Eligibility Criteria
- Entities that are eligible to apply include:
- Public and government agencies, including but not limited to tribes, special districts and intergovernmental partnerships;
- Public or private schools, colleges, and universities; and
- Private sector entities (for-profit and nonprofit organizations) who are in good standing with the Colorado Secretary of State.
- Applicants who have applied and received grant funding from the RREO program in the past are eligible to apply again.
For more information, visit CDPHE.
