Before abatement was completed. Courtesy/NMED
After abatement was completed. Courtesy/NMED
NMED News:
SANTA FE — The New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) is now accepting applications for fiscal year 2023 Recycling and Illegal Dumping (RAID) Fund grants for scrap tire management, illegal dumpsite abatement, recycling and composting projects.
Municipalities, counties, solid waste authorities, cooperative associations (as defined in the RAID Act), land grant communities, pueblos, tribes, and nations are eligible for funds totaling $800,000.
For this funding cycle, the application review panel, known as the RAID Alliance, will prioritize projects that emphasize diversion of materials from landfills. Two-thirds of the funding is available for scrap tire projects and one-third is available for other eligible projects. NMED encourages applications that include matching funds or in-kind contributions, but this is not required for eligibility.
Grant funding may be spent to offset the cost of scrap tire collection and recycling, establish and improve recycling facilities, purchase equipment, develop and implement marketing and educational outreach campaigns, purchase products produced by a recycling facility using materials from New Mexico, develop recycling and composting infrastructure, and abate illegal dumpsites. A list of previously funded projects is available for review on the NMED website.
From fiscal year 2007 to fiscal year 2022, NMED awarded over $11.2 million dollars for 351 projects and helped to abate over 171 illegal dumpsites throughout the state. In FY21, McKinley County was awarded a RAID grant of over $50,000 to abate several legacy illegal dumpsites throughout the county. The funding was used to remove over 800,000 pounds of illegally dumped household waste from the natural landscape and send it to a nearby landfill for proper disposal.
“Overall, the grant project was a success and the local community members were very happy with the removal of over 400 tons of illegally dumped trash and the posting of signage to deter illegal dumping,” McKinley County Grants Manager Muriel Plummer said. “McKinley County is very thankful for the partnership with NMED for the abatement of illegal dumpsites in our county.”
“The impact of these projects on communities is tremendous, as many entities are unable to afford cleaning up illegal dumpsites without this financial assistance,” Solid Waste Bureau Chief Joan Snider said. “This funding is crucial to helping communities keep their neighborhoods healthy, safe and pollution free.”
“Each year, the New Mexico Environment Department invests millions of dollars in communities throughout our state,” Cabinet Secretary James Kenney said. “These grants will fund local partners who are also working hard to protect public health and the environment.”
The RAID grant program benefits New Mexicans more broadly as well, by raising awareness of the importance of proper solid waste management. The New Mexico Environment Department provides financing in the forms of grants and loans to the public and private sector to improve air quality, ensure safe and healthy drinking water and clean-up solid and hazardous wastes. The RAID grant program will further their goal of investing in $65M in communities this fiscal year. This is one of their economic performance measures as discussed in their Quarterly Performance Assessment Report.
The application is available at https://www.env.nm.gov/forms. Applications are due no later than 5 p.m. Friday, March 25. Applicants may submit their completed application by e-mail, mail or fax. Grants will be awarded on a competitive basis for the state fiscal year starting on or about July and ending on or about June 30, 2023.
For more information about RAID grants and eligibility requirements, or to discuss project ideas, contact the Solid Waste Bureau, Outreach Section at SWB.inbox@state.nm.us or 505.827.0197.