Apply by Aug. 31 for grants up to $10,000

Have an idea that would help your company or community keep waste out of the landfill? Got a plan to ramp up recycling, start composting or turn trash into something useful? Wake County wants to support your work!

Schools, businesses and nonprofits have until Aug. 31 to submit their ideas and requests for funding through the Wake County Commercial Waste Reduction Grant Program. Successful grant recipients will be notified in October and should complete their projects before June 2023.

“We’ve got such a creative and conscientious community in Wake County, I can’t wait to see the innovative ways our residents find to curb their contributions to the landfill,” said Solid Waste Outreach Coordinator Bianca Howard, who oversees the grant program. “We’re delighted to invest in these projects because reducing waste is a win for everyone.”

Projects must have a significant impact on Wake County and involve waste prevention, reuse, recycling, composting or recycling market development. Funds may also support educational programs about waste prevention.

At 1 p.m. Friday, Howard will host a webinar to teach applicants how to avoid common mistakes in the process. Register by email or call 919-856-6432.

Last year, Wake County awarded $29,155 to six community partners, including Raleigh Community Kickstand, which got more than $7,000 to support its mission to provide bicycles and mechanical know-how to people without houses.

“Thanks to the grant, we were able to receive, refurbish and giveaway 124 bikes in the first six months of 2022 – more than we gave away in all of 2021,” said Michael D'Argenio, one of the original members of the all-volunteer nonprofit. “In addition to helping us step up our outreach and bring in more volunteers, the grant paid for the materials, locks, lights and helmets needed to get the bikes back out on the road and keep the riders safe.”

Here’s a full list of last year’s grant recipients:

• The Girl Scouts N.C. Coastal Pines Council got $600 to create a mobile kiosk to educate visitors about litter at the Falls Lake State Recreation Area.
• Millbrook High School got $3,400 to divert food waste through on- and off-site composting.
• The N.C. Rural Center got $3,900 to increase access to recycling and composting collection for users of its conference center.
• Orange Recycling Services got $10,000 for a densifier to create opportunities for its business customers to recycle polystyrene.
• Raleigh Community Kickstand got $7,075 to refurbish used bicycles and distribute them to people in Wake County without houses.
• West Raleigh Presbyterian Church got $4,180 to install bottle refill stations to replace water coolers and disposable cups.
   

Grants are available from $500 to $10,000. To learn more, and apply for funding, visit us online. Have a question? Contact Bianca Howard at 919-856-6432 or bianca.howard@wake.gov.