Nashville, TN – Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam and Department of Environment and Conservation Commissioner Bob Martineau announced today more than $318,000 in grants to support solid waste management activities in communities across Tennessee.
The Tennessee General Assembly established development districts in 1966 to do general and comprehensive planning and conduct development and administration activities for local governments, and eight of the state’s nine development districts will receive grants totaling $318,578 in fiscal year 2012-2013.
Tennessee’s development districts assist the state’s solid waste planning regions in compiling information about landfills, source reduction, composting and recycling for the state’s Annual Progress Report. The report is a planning and reporting tool required by the Solid Waste Management Act of 1991, which was the first comprehensive solid waste planning legislation in Tennessee history. The data is used to determine each region’s progress towards Tennessee’s goal to achieve 25 percent waste reduction in Class I landfill solid waste.
Local governments also receive technical assistance from development districts in designing, implementing, upgrading and maintaining solid waste programs, systems and facilities, including landfills, convenience centers and recycling centers.
“The ongoing support of the state’s development district offices has been instrumental in assisting these regions with their long-term waste reduction goals and planning,” Martineau said. “We are pleased to be in a position to continue our support of these critical efforts.”
Grant amounts are determined on an annual basis and awarded based on available funding and the scope of work undertaken by each district.
The grants announced include:
| District | Grant Amount |
| East Tennessee Development District | $36,860 |
| First Tennessee Development District | $41,190 |
| Greater Nashville Regional Council | $42,629 |
| Northwest Tennessee Development District | $43,735 |
| Southwest Tennessee Development District | $28,350 |
| Upper Cumberland Development District | $38,970 |
| South Central Tennessee Development District | $41,100 |
| Southeast Tennessee Development District | $45,744 |
Development District Grants were authorized by the Solid Waste Management Act of 1991 and are supported from the Tennessee Solid Waste Management Fund that is administered by the Department of Environment and Conservation. The Tennessee Solid Waste Management Fund receives its revenues from a tipping fee surcharge on each ton of solid waste disposed of in Class I landfills and from a pre-disposal fee on new tires sold in the state.
