Rep. McNally Announces $75,000 for Mahoning County Solid Waste Management District

COLUMBUS- State Rep. Lauren McNally (D-Youngstown) today announced the awarding of $75,000 in state funds from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and The Recycling Partnership’s Drop-Off Recycling Quality Improvement Grant Program for the Mahoning County Solid Waste Management District (Mahoning SWMD).

“This direct financial assistance and informational support is necessary in communities around the state, including Mahoning County. I’m glad our area is receiving the resources to learn more about and improve this important service for the people who live here,” said Rep. McNally.

The Recycling Partnership, a nonprofit organization working with city governments nationwide to transform their recycling programs, and the EPA’s Drop-Off Recycling Quality Improvement Grant Program will provide $75,000 as well as a wide range of technical assistance and in-kind support to the Mahoning SWMD with the goal of addressing recycling contamination and ensuring the integrity of the recycling system as a whole. The overall assistance and support includes stakeholder meetings and partnerships that will create timelines and milestones for the project.

“A lot of people want to recycle or will recycle more when we take the time to teach them, and that time is worth it. Reducing our trash and what we send to landfills will make our air and soil better now and for our children,” said Rep. McNally.

 The Grant Program is part of an overall campaign by the Ohio EPA to improve education, outreach, and participation for drop-off recycling programs with $180,000 in investment for SWMDs in six counties. Working with SWMDs, material recovery facilities, haulers, and Ohio communities, the goal of the campaign is to benefit more than 190,000 households in Ohio by tackling the issue of non-recyclable materials and plastic in residential recycling programs.