The Gold Level Keep Nebraska Beautiful Affiliate Award is given to Keep Nebraska Beautiful Affiliates who conduct environmental projects and educational programs that promote recycling, litter prevention and community beautification. This is Clean Community Systems first time receiving such an award. The award was presented during the annual Keep Nebraska Beautiful Conference on Thursday August 20, 2015 in Lincoln Nebraska. Accepting the award was Denise McGovern-Gallagher, Executive Director.Grand Island Area Clean Community System will receive $55,000 from the Nebraska Environmental Trust for the household hazardous waste collection facility project.
This is the second year of the award, with a potential third-year funding of $55,000. It’s one of 113 projects receiving $19,491,958 in grants from the Nebraska Environmental Trust this year.
Clean Community System’s facility provides one-stop proper and safe disposal of household hazardous waste and recyclable products. The regional facility serves the 85,000 residents of Hall, Hamilton, Howard and Merrick counties.
The building, which is leased from the Hall County Airport Authority, contains an education area used to teach children and adults about household hazardous waste, the environment and recycling. It also has a reusable products area, which provides free materials to residents for reuse, reducing the amount of waste that would otherwise require disposal fees and go into regional landfills.
Clean Community System provides information on recycling pharmaceuticals, computers, televisions, lead-acid batteries and other electronics. This facility also houses the office of Keep Grand Island Beautiful, an affiliate of Keep America Beautiful.
Studies have shown that permanent facilities tend to collect more household hazardous waste than other collection methods and at a lower cost per participant, Clean Community System said in a press release.
The Legislature created the Nebraska Environmental Trust in 1992. Using revenue from the Nebraska Lottery, the trust has provided more than $233 million in grants to more than 1,700 projects across the state.