The City of Lincoln, Nebraska has been awarded a $1,727,800 federal Project Grant from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Reduce, Reuse, Recycling Education and Outreach (REO) Grants program (CFDA 66.921). The purpose of this 3-year grant is to enhance the city's efforts to increase waste prevention, boost recycling participation rates, and decrease contamination in the recycling stream.
Key activities to be undertaken include launching a multilingual social marketing and behavior change campaign, providing recycling education and outreach to businesses and community groups, conducting recycling stream audits, and developing a toolkit of best practices for reducing food waste and improving recycling. The city will also sub-award funding to the Cultural Centers of Lincoln Collaborative to translate educational materials and serve as a liaison to engage diverse communities. Expected outcomes include increased public awareness, improved waste diversion rates, and long-term, sustainable benefits for the City of Lincoln's recycling and resource recovery programs.