ELMIRA – This week the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that Chemung County has been selected to receive $1.7 million in the first-ever EPA funding under EPA’s new Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling program to build resilient circular economies across the country. New York State is also slated to receive over $531,000 to support its ongoing efforts to sustainably manage materials and generate less waste. The grants are part of EPA’s largest recycling investment in 30 years and will be awarded using funding from the Biden Administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).
The grant to Chemung County will allow it to build a new composting facility at the site of a decommissioned wastewater treatment plant to expand upon its existing composting program. The new facility will replace the shuttered former wastewater treatment plant with a new facility that will divert waste from the nearby Chemung County landfill and create a more accessible place for residents to turn waste into product. The funding will help the county model what’s known as a “circular economy” by building a program to keep materials and products in circulation for as long as possible. This approach is a model of production and consumption, where items and products are reused whenever possible rather than discarded as waste.
“We’re excited that the Environmental Protection Agency has selected Chemung County to receive a $1.6 million grant for our Solid Waste Infrastructure and Recycling Initiatives. Thanks to grant opportunities such as this, projects which would otherwise be unaffordable are able to come to fruition”, said Chemung County Executive Christopher Moss. “I am pleased that Chemung County’s grant application met both the program objective and contained multiple strategic plan elements. These funds will allow Chemung County to continue to partner with its local municipalities as we continue our efforts to establish and optimize our capacity for composting materials.”