2nd Annual Rethink Waste Community Grants: $7,000 Awarded!
Four organizations / businesses have won a grant from The Environmental Center’s Rethink Waste Community Grants Program to support waste reduction efforts in four categories: increased diversion through recycling, expanded reuse, education in single-use waste reduction, and finally increased food waste diversion through composting.
During this time of COVID, waste has been a tough topic for folks to care about and digest even though it’s still so important. Our Deschutes County Knott Landfill is still projected to be full by 2029, but we are producing more waste because of PPE, take out, and fear. We are really excited that these local organizations are still working toward a more sustainable, lower waste goal despite such global difficulties.
Funded projects include:
- Desert Sky Montessori – to build and develop a recycling collection facility for various materials not collected in our curbside carts
- Central Oregon Locavore – to help with infrastructure needed to implement a sanitary refillable container share and trade program
- Let’s Act Bend – a pilot project to perform waste audits to opt-in businesses to educate them on how they can reduce their waste including single use disposables and food waste
- OSU-Cascades – to help implement an on-site composting program for use in the campus landscaping and gardens
Another round of Rethink Waste community grants applications will open fall of 2021 or spring of 2022.