Welcome to DCEO's Office of Energy and Recycling, Division of Recycling and Waste Reduction!
Every day, Illinoisans fill containers and dumpsters with trash to be hauled away for disposal in landfills… "out of sight and out of mind." DCEO's Division of Recycling and Waste Reduction offers programs that promote alternatives to landfill disposal, conservation of resources, and further development of markets to recycle more of what we currently throw away. Adding value to recycled materials is the principal reason that recycling has become a multi-billion dollar industry in Illinois.
We've set up this site to provide you with the resources you need to implement waste reduction, recycling, and composting methods as alternatives to landfill disposal. The goals of these programs are to divert large volumes of waste from landfill or incinerator disposal and to foster recycling endeavors in Illinois.
Illinois Recycling Grants Program
This program provides technical assistance and grants to governmental entities, private businesses, and not-for-profit organizations. Through an annual competitive request for applications (RFA) process, funds are awarded to support projects that will develop or expand recycling collection and processing efforts in Illinois. A priority goal of the program is to reducing the amount of recyclable commodities being disposed of in Illinois landfills. While most funding from this program has gone to support “traditional recycling” (fiber, plastic, metal, and glass), the program, from time-to-time, also issues special RFA’s to solicit applications designed to target specific non-traditional recyclables (e.g., electronic waste).
The program’s latest grant cycle closed on November 13, 2009. To learn more about this program and/or to be added to the program’s notification list please contact:
David Ross
Phone: 217/782-7887
Email: David.Ross@illinois.gov
Food Scrap Composting Revitalization & Advancement (F-SCRAP) Program
DCEO will be accepting applications for projects that will divert food scraps and other organic material, excluding yard waste, from Illinois landfills for composting, increasing the quantity of materials composted in Illinois. The Department anticipates that these projects will provide new jobs and other economic and environmental benefits to the State of Illinois as well as advance Illinois’ composting infrastructure. The Department encourages the submission of joint projects or applications that address regional or multi-jurisdictional composting approaches from any combination of two or more governmental, for-profit, or not-for-profit organizations.
DCEO will accept applications under this program from January 4, 2010 until 4:30 pm on April 2, 2010 or until funding for this initiative is exhausted. Questions concerning this opportunity should be directed to David E. Smith at 217/785-2006 or email David.E.Smith@illinois.gov.
Click here for a copy of the request-for-application.
The Recycling Expansion and Modernization (REM) Program provides grants to divert materials from the municipal solid waste stream, thereby conserving our natural resources, and improve the performance and “bottom line” of Illinois businesses and organizations (reduced operating costs, increased sales, etc.) while demonstrating public economic benefits.
Illinois Zero Waste Schools Grant Program
Thank you for your interest in the IL Zero Waste Schools Grant Program, a funding opportunity for K-12 Illinois schools to implement or expand recycling, waste reduction, and composting/vermicomposting programs. Announcements for future Request for Applications (RFA) for IL Zero Waste School Grant Programs will be posted at this site, or you may request to be notified by email of future solicitations by contacting Brett Ivers at Brett.Ivers@illinois.gov or 217-785-2013.