Recycling Business Development Grants Projected to Create 135 Jobs in North Carolina

RALEIGH – Ten North Carolina recycling companies received a total of $442,500 in business development grant funding from the Department of Environmental Quality's (DEQ) Recycling Business Assistance Center (RBAC). The grants are projected to create 135 jobs and generate an investment of more than $1.66 million in recycling infrastructure while reducing the state’s dependence on landfill disposal.

“Recycling businesses play an important role in the state’s circular economy, providing high-quality jobs while simultaneously supporting North Carolina’s environmental efforts,” said DEQ Secretary Elizabeth Biser, “These grants fund sustainable projects that improve the efficiency and effectiveness of diversion efforts, preventing valuable materials from ending up in landfills.”

Both large and small companies from 9 counties received grants. Projects include upgrades to material recovery facilities, expanding recycling capacity and efficiency for mixed paper and plastics and increasing recycling opportunities for a variety of other materials, such as solar panels, oyster shells, and plastic garden containers.

As it has for the last six years, DEQ gave priority to projects that improve North Carolina’s capacity to domestically process and use mixed paper and non-bottle plastics. By prioritizing projects that strengthen local markets, the state’s recycling program works to keep valuable materials in-state and decrease reliance on foreign buyers.

Grants are offered annually, depending on funding availability, to reduce the flow of solid waste into landfills and strengthen the state’s recycling economy. Recipients are required to provide a minimum cash match of 50 percent of the grant award. Private matching investments are expected to nearly triple the grant funding to $1.3 million.

A full list of the 10 business recipients and descriptions of the projects can be found on the DEQ website at this link. 

About the RBAC
The RBAC in DEQ’s Division of Environmental Assistance and Customer Service works one-on-one with recycling companies to provide technical, business, and financial assistance. For information about the grant program, visit: https://deq.nc.gov/conservation/recycling-business-assistance/financing/grants.