The City of Indianapolis Office of Sustainability is wrapping up projects made possible with nearly $50,000 in grant funding from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) Community Recycling Grant. This funding produced projects that highlight education and promotion of proper recycling, waste reduction, organics management, and household hazardous waste collection and disposal. While the funding was initially awarded in the 2020 grant cycle, supply chain issues delayed the completion of all the projects until this spring.

"It's important that our sustainability efforts are accomplished within an equitable framework," said Mayor Joe Hogsett. "Thanks to IDEM and our Office of Sustainability, we can implement programs county-wide that support active community engagement and waste management programs tailored to meet the needs of our City."

As a direct result from this funding, the Office of Sustainability was able to create substantive programs that increase recycling and waste reduction. Some of the main program results include:

• Updated educational signage at the 16 community drop-off recycling sites - correcting outdated/inaccurate information and increasing Spanish translations
• Purchase of three additional drop-off recycling boxes
• Repairs to two 20-yard boxes for household hazardous waste disposal
• Production of an Indianapolis specific recycling PSA (nominated for an Emmy award)

In order to receive Community Recycling Grant funding, organizations must submit proposals for programs that aim to start or expand a recycling, source reduction, reuse, buy-recycled, or composting program; offer a new service, collect a new material, and/or serve a new area through the establishment of a new permanent service; and improve efficiency and sustainability over current program practices through increased volumes of materials collected, and better processing of materials, cost savings, and resource conservation.

The initiatives made possible by this grant are part of a continued commitment by the Hogsett administration to address Indianapolis' recycling challenges. The City of Indianapolis and may other stakeholders have partnered on the Indianapolis Circular Economy Initiative (ICEI), launched in 2020 and led by Circular Indiana. ICEI is locally-focused and working to achieve the Thrive Indianapolis waste and recycling goals; generate good and promising jobs; foster innovation, ideas, and investments; and capture the economic, social, and environmental benefits of a thriving circular economy in Indiana. Addressing recycling issues in Indianapolis as an urgent first priority is intended as a springboard for pursuing broader aspects of the circular economy statewide. For more information on ICEI, click here.

Residents interested in more information on recycling should visit indy.gov/recycle.

For more information on the IDEM Community Recycling Grant, click here.