DNREC recycling team offers free onsite waste assessment to schools and businesses

Assessments encouraged for scheduling ahead of Sept. 30 Universal Recycling grant and low interest loan application deadline

DOVER – DNREC’s Recycling Team in the Division of Waste & Hazardous Substances is providing a valuable Universal Recycling preview in the form of free onsite waste assessments to organizations and schools in Delaware who might want to apply for recycling grants or low-interest loans offered this year by DNREC. The deadline for applying is Sept. 30 (moved up from an original Nov. 3 deadline), and the Recycling Team believes it behooves all applicants to get a waste assessment to make their application more focused and attractive for landing grant awards or low-interest loans for their company or school’s recycling program.

The assessments are made at no cost and can be arranged with a quick touch of the telephone keypad – the recycling team responds with expediency in doing an assessment that is certain to augment a school or business’s grant application for helping fund its recycling program or to launch a new wastttttprogram.

How to Recycle In Delaware guide“DNREC’s waste assessment consists of a walk-through of your school, workplace or business,” said Don Long, Recycling Team outreach lead. “We can accommodate any number of staff members that your organization wishes to have present during the assessment. The assessment will indicate what’s needed to make recycling both easy and effective for your organization and staff, both inside and outside your facility. It’s as easy and simple as that! Call us today to schedule a free onsite waste assessment (302-739-9403, ext. 8) and let us help your organization become a successful Delaware recycler.”

The onsite waste assessments are a first step in the process of enabling schools, businesses, offices, municipalities and other interested entities to begin and/or expand their recycling efforts. Once a call is made to the Division of Waste & Hazardous Substances (302-739-9403, ext. 8), a DNREC Recycling Team member will arrange and schedule an onsite waste assessment for a day and time that best suits an organization’s schedule to learn more about recycling programs in Delaware – and DNREC’s Recycling Grant and Low Interest loan program, which awards funds twice a year for recycling projects throughout the state.

For one such assessment at Dover High School, the DNREC Recycling Team’s technical assistance consisted of the facility walk-through, followed by an analysis of Dover High’s waste stream, and the school’s waste management practices. DNREC made recommendations on recycling container size, color, and locations for placement throughout the school grounds, and also provided outreach and education examples for more effective communication about how to recycle. School staff was reminded that, in many cases, setting up an effective waste reduction program, when combined with increased recycling, results in decreased trash volumes and the potential for significant waste disposal savings. The overarching message is that recycling is often less expensive than trash disposal.

For more information about the Universal Recycling grant awards and low-interest loan program, please visit the Division of Waste & Hazardous Substances website or call the Recycling Team at 302-739-9403, ext. 8

CONTACT: Jackie Howard or Don Long, DNREC Division of Waste & Hazardous Substances Recycling Program, 302-739-9403, ext. 8

Vol. 46, No. 327

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Volunteer Fair in Dover

20 Kent County Organizations to Be Represented at May 16
Volunteer Fair in Dover

DOVER – The State Office of Volunteerism and the Kent County Public Library will host a volunteer fair from 2-4 p.m. May 16 at the library for prospective volunteers of all ages to learn about more than 20 organizations in Kent County.

“This is a great opportunity for individuals interested in volunteering to hear from people involved with the organizations and to get an understanding of the impact that volunteers have,” said Secretary Rita Landgraf of the Department of Health and Social Services, which oversees the State Office of Volunteerism. “We know that people who do volunteer get so much out of the experience. They see that their gifts and talents truly make a difference in people’s lives.”

Organizations that will be represented at the volunteer fair are American Cancer Society, Habitat for Humanity, national Capital Therapy Dogs, Creative Mentoring, Heartland Hospice, and many more.

The Kent County Library is at 497 S. Red Haven Lane in Dover.

For more information about the volunteer fair or to have your group included, contact Carrie Hart with the State Office of Volunteerism at (302) 857-5006.

For more information, go to www.https://volunteer.delaware.gov.

For more information, contact Jill Fredel, Director of Communications, (302) 255-9047 (office) or (302) 357-7498 (cell).

Delaware Health and Social Services is committed to improving the quality of the lives of Delaware’s citizens by promoting health and well-being, fostering self-sufficiency, and protecting vulnerable populations.