California invests $25M in recycling

California is investing $25 million to modernize recycling systems in local communities. The state says transitioning to a circular economy could create more than 100,000 new jobs.

“As the world’s fifth-largest economy, California can show the world how to rebuild into a self-sustaining, circular manufacturing system that reduces trash pollution and ensures products get recycled and remanufactured within our state,” California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) Director Rachel Machi Wagoner says. “The investments also boost small businesses, create income and lower landfill pollutants that disproportionately impact the health of disadvantaged communities.”

The state says it will invest $10.4 million in six California businesses, allowing them to expand their facilities or purchase equipment to turn 27,570 tons of recycled plastic, glass and clothing into new products:

• Green Impact Manufacturing LLC, $3 million;
• Gallo Glass Co., $3 million;
• Suay Inc. $1.3 million;
• Strategic Materials Inc. $732,512;
• Global Plastics Recycling Inc. $1.55 million; and
• Innovive, LLC (partially funded) $862,940.

CalRecycle’s Recycled Fiber, Plastic and Glass Grant Program is part of California Climate Investments, a statewide initiative that puts Cap-and-Trade dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy and improving public health and the environment—particularly in disadvantaged communities.

Four hundred California cities and counties will receive $9.5 million to increase local beverage container recycling and litter cleanup of the estimated 24 billion California Redemption Value (CRV) beverage containers sold in the state each year. CalRecycle’s Beverage Container Recycling City/County Payment Program is a population-based grant awarded yearly to cities and counties.

Twenty-one California communities will receive more than $3.7 million in infrastructure funding to repair local roads using some of the roughly 51 million end-of-life tires generated in the state each year. Lists of grant recipients are available here and here.

CalRecycle’s Rubberized Pavement Grant Program conserves resources and decreases environmental hazards created by illegal waste tire disposal and stockpiling, such as hard-to-extinguish tire fires that give off toxic smoke, according to the state.

Turning recycled tires into rubberized pavement reduces costs for local governments because the material usually can be applied half as thick as conventional asphalt overlays and last up to 50 percent longer.

Four California businesses and nonprofits received $2 million to prevent more than 13,000 tons of plastic, glass and wood waste from filling California landfills through increased manufacturing and use of refillable or reusable products. Find the list of grant recipients online.

Demand for Reuse Grant funding is high, according to the state. Nearly 40 organizations submitted applications in the four categories of Refillables, Food Service Ware, Transport Packaging and Wood.