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The Alabama Department of Environmental Management has awarded a $75,790 grant to enhance recycling efforts in Troy. The grant will be used to purchase a new baler, which will benefit the City of Troy’s recycling program by increasing material intake from small businesses.

“We apply just about every year for a grant, and most times, we get one,” said Vaughn Daniels, director of the City of Troy Environmental Services Department. “Our current baler is about 16 years old and currently in need of repair that would cost about $50,000. And this grant gives us $75,000 to buy a new one.”

Troy is one of 19 organizations to receive funding from the program in 2019. In the last 11 years, ADEM has awarded more than 175 grants providing in excess of $19 million for development and operation of local recycling programs.

“Recycling can provide environmental and economic benefits for citizens across Alabama,” said ADEM Director Lance LeFleur. “I am proud that ADEM can utilize this grant program and our technical resources to support this effort.”

Grants are awarded to further recycling in accordance with recommendations contained in the 2016 Southeast Recycling Development Consortium report entitled “A Plan for Boosting Material Recovery and Recycling in Alabama.” The report concluded that communities should focus on creating a “Hub and Spoke Recycling Model” using curbside collection. This system encourages collection of recyclable material from smaller communities, which is then delivered to a larger centralized Material Recovery Facility. For rural communities unable to participate in such a system or to provide curbside service, the report and ADEM encourages the use of local drop-off or convenience centers for recycling.

For questions on recycling in the Troy area, please contact Vaughn Daniels at vaughn.daniels@troyal.gov or (334) 670-3340. For information concerning the ADEM Grants program, please call (334) 271-7988.