WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA (WLOS) — Some recycling equipment and infrastructure damaged by Helene is itself going to be renewed and repurposed as the state’s Department of Environmental Quality doled out disaster relief funds Tuesday to help area programs level up.
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North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality Secretary Reid Wilson was on hand in McDowell County Tuesday, where he announced grants for 16 projects in western North Carolina designed to improve waste reduction infrastructure and debris management through the Helene Recovery Recycling Infrastructure grant program, according to a news release from the agency.
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Among some $25 million in grants awarded “to local governments to repair and develop recycling infrastructure and strengthen organic debris management systems to ensure long-term resilience against future storms,” the following are sizeable local recipients:
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Town of Black Mountain ($525,000) will rebuild key elements of the Buncombe County town’s curbside sanitation infrastructure with the goal of collecting more recyclable material and creating long-term resilience.Buncombe County ($3,500,000) will build construction and demolition waste diversion infrastructure and increase revenue generated from these materials.Haywood County ($2,514,500) will replace curbside carts lost during Hurricane Helene and relocate a convenience center out of the flood plain.Jackson County ($3,000,000) will construct an additional transfer station in the Cashiers area, which is frequently cut off due to landslides during storms. This facility will improve access to recycling services throughout the county.Macon County ($2,750,000) will rebuild its damaged Recycling Processing Center and make other improvements through new equipment investments.Town of Marshall ($356,000) will replace damaged collection equipment and establish a curbside recycling program for the Madison County town.McDowell County ($580,000) will purchase equipment to increase capacity, reduce maintenance-related downtime, and significantly decrease the number of trips required for material transport.Mitchell County ($380,000) will restore and expand its recycling center.Rutherford County ($1,500,000) will enhance vegetative debris recycling and divert construction and demolition debris from landfill disposal.Yancey County ($1,300,000) will rebuild storm-damaged recycling infrastructure and improve efficiency by adding equipment for in-house hauling and processing.