Applications Open for Rubber-Modified Asphalt Grants

Application deadline is May 1, 2023

FRANKFORT, Ky. (March 1, 2023) – Energy and Environment Cabinet Secretary Rebecca W. Goodman announced today that grant funding will be made available to county or metro-government entities for local road projects that utilize rubber-modified asphalt, which uses rubber from finely ground waste tires.

Applications must be received by May 1, 2023.

“The division is excited to offer these grants to Kentucky counties,” said Tammi Hudson, director of the Division of Waste Management. “We believe rubber-modified asphalt can provide several benefits, including promoting a cost-effective, performance-enhancing additive for county paving projects, and improving end-use markets for recycled tires which can lead to better waste tire management across the Commonwealth.”

Counties or metro governments can apply for funding for either chip seal or thin asphalt overlay projects. Chip seal is a pavement surface treatment that combines one or more layers of liquid asphalt with one or more layers of fine aggregate. Asphalt overlay consists of a new layer of asphalt applied over an existing road surface. Rubber-modified asphalt can reduce road noise and long-term maintenance costs and increase the life of the roadway.

The money for these projects comes from the Kentucky Waste Tire Trust Fund, which receives $2 from every new tire sold in the Commonwealth. In addition to promoting the development of markets for recycled waste tires, the fund also provides monies for waste tire collection events, tire dumpsite clean-ups, and grants for counties to manage waste tires.

The cabinet will be performing short-term and long-term testing to assess the effectiveness of rubber-modified asphalt in Kentucky. As a condition of the grant funding, counties will agree to pay for the application of conventional chip seal or thin overlay on roads in their counties with similar characteristics to allow for comparison between conventional and rubber-modified asphalt.

For more information, contact Darin Steen at (502) 782-6039 or darin.steen@ky.gov. You may also visit the division’s website at Grants | Recycling and Local Assistance

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Gov. Beshear Announces Nearly $534,000 in Grants to 14 Kentucky Counties to Clean Up Illegal Open Dumps

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Feb. 2, 2023) – Gov. Andy Beshear and Kentucky Energy and Environment (EEC) Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Goodman today announced approximately $534,000 in grants for the cleanup of 62 illegal dumps in 14 counties across the commonwealth.

The grant funding is used to clean sites where household solid waste such as couches, tires, coolers and bedding has been illegally dumped.  Not only are these dumps an eyesore in municipalities, but they can be a health hazard due to exposed debris and vermin. Once cleaned, the sites offer locations for revenue-producing businesses. 

“Kentucky families deserve for their communities to be clean and safe. Illegal dump sites can affect Kentuckians’ quality of life and the health and vitality of communities,” Gov. Beshear said. “Thousands of our people will benefit from this grant program.”

The grants will be used in the following counties and sites:  Butler (4), Calloway, Carlisle, Christian (2), Hart (3), Hopkins, Johnson (4), Lawrence (4), Logan, Metcalfe, Pike (10), Scott, Warren and Wolfe (28).

As part of the grant funding, counties must agree to provide a 25 percent match of the grant amount.  The EEC may waive the 25 percent match on any individual illegal open dump where cleanup costs exceed $50,000.

“This grant has funded the cleanups for close to 2,700 dump sites across the state since its creation in 2006,” Secretary Goodman said.  “I am encouraged that these communities have taken action through this wonderful program.”

Grants for the Illegal Open Dump Grant Program comes from the Kentucky Pride Fund, which is generated through a $1.75 environmental remediation fee for each ton of garbage dumped at Kentucky municipal solid waste landfills.  This “tipping fee” was first authorized by the 2002 General Assembly under House Bill 174, for use in a dump cleanup reimbursement program, and for the remediation of historic landfills. In 2006, Senate Bill 50 changed the reimbursement program to a grant program and expanded the scope of the fund to address household hazardous waste collection and recycling infrastructure.

Kentucky has made significant progress in addressing the illegal dump issue thanks to this funding, along with statewide cleanup and educational campaigns by local, state and federal agencies.

For grant amounts, please call your local solid waste coordinator or contact Lisa Evans at 502-782-6355 or lisa.evans@kygov

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$4.7 Million Awarded in State Recycling, Composting and Household Hazardous Waste Grants

FRANKFORT, Ky. (May 16, 2022) – Governor Andy Beshear and Energy and Environment Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Goodman today announced nearly $4.7 million in grants to Kentucky municipalities, fiscal courts and universities for 71 projects to expand recycling, reduce the amount of solid waste going into landfills, and improve the environmental management of household hazardous waste.

“I am pleased that so many municipalities are stepping up to reuse and recycle to reduce the amount of solid waste piling up in our landfills,” Gov. Beshear said. “This promotes a healthy Kentucky and shows care for the environment and for each other.”

This program awards three types of grants:

• The recycling grant provides funds for counties to purchase recycling equipment with the goal of promoting sustainable regional recycling infrastructure in Kentucky.
• The composting grant funds the purchase of equipment to improve composting and promote creative solutions for managing food waste, lawn waste and other organic material. 
• The household hazardous waste grant provides funds for counties to conduct annual drop-off events for their citizens to dispose of household chemicals, old electronics and other potentially hazardous wastes.

There were 30 recycling grants worth $2.77 million, 30 household hazardous waste grants worth $715,874 and 11 composting grants worth $1.21 million. These grants require a 25 percent local match in the form of cash or “in kind” labor, educational activities or advertising to promote the program from those receiving the awards. A complete list of grant recipients can be viewed here.

Secretary Goodman said some of these projects raise awareness about the importance of recycling home electronic equipment, which can contain metals such as mercury, which would be harmful to human health if put into landfills. “We all need to consider the life cycle of products and how we carefully dispose of them,” Sec. Goodman said.

Funding for the grants comes from the Kentucky Pride Fund, which is generated by a $1.75 fee for each ton of municipal solid waste disposed of in Kentucky landfills.

In order to apply for the next round of recycling, composting and household hazardous waste grants, applications should be postmarked or hand-delivered to Division of Waste Management, Recycling and Local Assistance Branch, or emailed to williamt.collins@ky.gov by 4 p.m. on Friday, April 3, 2023.  The original application and any supporting documentation must be submitted in order for an application to be complete. Application materials and more information about the division’s recycling effort can be found here.

Keep up with Gov. Beshear and the administration’s advances in economic development and infrastructure improvements at governor.ky.gov, and on the Governor’s official social media accounts Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

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Division of Compliance Assistance to Offer Free Intro to Grant Writing and Community Revitalization Workshops

Join us for our free, one-day grant writing workshop, which will provide participants with a solid understanding of grant writing tips and tricks that will help make proposals more attractive to funding agencies.

This workshop will highlight environmental and community development grants, but the materials will be applicable to many other types of grant applications from federal government and foundation funding agencies. The last portion of the workshop will highlight the upcoming  U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Brownfield Grant application, BUILD Act information and any changes in guidelines.

State Energy and Environment Cabinet Announces Grants to Cleanup Illegal Dumps

Funds will eliminate 102 illegal dumps in 20 counties

The Energy and Environment Cabinet (EEC) today announced that $876,730 in grant funding has been awarded by the Kentucky Pride Fund for cleanup of 102 illegal dumps in 20 counties across the Commonwealth.

“Illegal dumping is a major problem that raises significant concerns with regard to safety,
property values and quality of life in our communities,” said EEC Secretary Len Peters. “It is a major economic burden on local governments that are typically responsible for cleaning up dump sites.”

Cleaner Commonwealth Fund Offering Cleanup Grants

The Kentucky Brownfield Redevelopment Program is announcing the availability of cleanup grants through the Cleaner Commonwealth Fund (CCF).  The Cleaner Commonwealth Fund is a grant-and-loan fund established with an $850,000 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Brownfield Revolving Loan Fund Grant. The program is releasing $140,000 to provide money for cleanup projects in Kentucky.  In this initial round of grants, eligible entities including local governments, nonprofits and quasi-governmental agencies, can apply for up to $50,000 for an eligible project. For a site to be eligible, the applicant must have performed All Appropriate Inquiries (Phase I Assessment) within the six-month period prior to the purchase of the property and met bona fide prospective purchaser guidelines.

Kentucky’s Clean Diesel Grant Program Improves Air Quality

Diesel engines can be found in communities everywhere. From the construction industry to transportation, industry to farms, diesel engines provide an efficient means to power a variety of machinery. While efficient, not every diesel engine is as “clean” as those manufactured after 2006 when the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) heavy duty highway and non-road engine standards took effect. In fact, EPA estimates that there are 11 million older diesel engines that remain in use.