Oregon DEQ Awards Grant Money to Boost Reuse of Building Materials

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has awarded a $29,551 solid waste grant to the city of Eugene, which will contract with the nonprofit group BRING Recycling to produce and distribute an educational DVD about the environmental benefits of reusing building materials. The DVD will demonstrate reuse as an effective strategy in preventing waste, reducing greenhouse gases and slowing global climate change.

BRING Recycling will use the DVD as part of its community education programs. The DVD will also be distributed to building professionals, schools, libraries, other groups and the general public through BRING Recycling and the city’s Green Building Program.

Recycling officials hope to foster market supply and demand for reused building materials and make reuse as mainstream as recycling is today. Officials expect the project to reduce construction and demolition waste sent to landfills, help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help the county meet its solid waste recovery goals.

About $24,000 in matching monies will come from BRING Recycling and the city to round out funding for the roughly $54,000 project.

This grant is one of nine DEQ is awarding this year to help communities promote solid waste prevention/reduction and conduct household hazardous waste programs. This year grants total $370,182. In most cases, grant recipients and/or their partners contribute matching monies, staff time or services in support of selected projects. The solid waste grants program, established by the Oregon Legislature, is funded through fees on solid waste disposal throughout the state. Since the first grant round in 1991, DEQ has awarded 284 grants totaling more than $6 million.