NRC Receives Two Grants from the Nebraska Environmental Trust

NRC was awarded funding for two grants at the April board meeting of the Nebraska Environmental Trust for the July 2021-June 2022 grant cycle. NRC’s projects are two of 113 projects that will receive $18,350,515 in lottery proceeds for natural resource work in Nebraska. This is the 28th year of grants from the Trust, which has provided over $349 million dollars in lottery revenue to preserve and protect the air, water and land of our state.

The Board approved Year 2 funding for NRC’s Recycling Equipment Grant, which provides up to $20,000 for schools, municipalities, nonprofits, and private businesses to enhance or help create new opportunities for recycling programs across Nebraska. For more information about how to apply for these equipment grants visit: https://nrcne.org/recycling-equipment-grants/.

NRC also was awarded one year of funding for a multi-year project to establish a year-round, statewide collection system for grain bag recycling. Grain bags are becoming an increasingly popular alternative for grain storage with the state’s largest farms generating more than 26,000 pounds of the plastic bags annually. The bags weigh 270-670 pounds, and while there are many benefits to using them, the bags generate a substantial amount of plastic waste. Working with Carson+Co Global (CCG), a consortium of stakeholders from the ag and natural resources community, and in partnership with Revolution Plastics as the end-market recycler, NRC and CCG will lead the way to establishing a hub and spoke system of public collection sites throughout the state and assist with private collection arrangements with the state’s largest farmers. This project will use a stakeholder-informed approach to reduce the barriers for farmers to recycle the material, encourage participation, and effectively educate on proper handling and collection practices with the goal of establishing one public collection site and one private collection arrangement by the end of Year 1. The grant award of $127,129 will provide funding for equipment and capital costs for a collection site; research and outreach services; and for promotional and educational activities. Contact Megan Jackson, NRC Program Director, at [email protected] if you have interest in this project as a farmer or distributor of grain bags or to support the project’s initiatives.