The Alabama Department of Environmental Management reported the Alabama Recycling Fund Grants program has received grants totaling $1.1 million.
The Alabama Recycling Fund was created after Gov. Bob Riley signed into law the Solid Wastes and Recyclable Materials Management Act in 2008.
Lee County was one of the eight areas that received money from the Alabama Recycling Fund. The county received more than $120,000.
The money comes from a $1 per ton fee on materials taken to landfills, said Jerome Hand, ADEM public relations director.
The $1 per ton fee was established by Riley's Solid Wastes and Recyclable Materials Management Act.
The $1.1 million grant was distributed to eight local communities. ADEM had applications for more than $7 million in grants, but had to turn some down, Hand said.
"Instead of putting all the waste in landfills, Governor Riley is hopeful that we can begin to incentivize recycling more than we currently do," said Todd Stacy, press secretary for the governor's office.
Andre Richardson, Auburn Waste Management recycling manager, said the ideology behind the Alabama Recycling Fund Grants program makes recycling a win-win situation.
The more material that goes into landfills, the less usable land there is, Richardson said.
He also said the commodities buried in landfills could be used to raise money for the state.
"Why pay to have a product buried when you could sell that product as reusable commodity to receive revenue from?" Richardson asked.
The grant program will encourage schools, businesses and households to recycle more by providing more drop-off sites, more curbside bins, containers and carts.
"Governor Riley hopes that cities and counties that may have found it financially difficult to start a recycling program could use these incentives to fund it and to expand recycling when it otherwise couldn't have," Stacy said. "Cities are strapped for resources right now; we're in a recession, and budgets are a little tighter than they were just a few years ago."
Stacy said he thinks these grants will help to expand existing recycling programs or to supply the resources to get newer programs off the ground.
Hand said Lee County will utilize the grant by forming a partnership among four entities: the county, the City of Auburn, Opelika and Auburn University.
Richardson said each entity will purchase items to enhance its recycling program. Auburn University will place more recycling containers around campus, as well as some containers for specified materials such as mixed paper and cardboard, Richardson said.
As many as six Lee County schools will receive new drop-off sites. Opelika will work toward opening a new drop-off center and will work with area businesses to establish collection agreements for recycling paper and cardboard, Richardson said.
Richardson said Auburn and Opelika will reach out to their school systems and participate in community events to motivate people to recycle, such as city fairs and America Recycles Day.
Hand said some areas that didn't previously have any recycling programs, such as Albertville and Boaz, can now join forces to use the grant money to start one. The grants make it possible for small communities to make important environmental advances.
Some of the money is going toward improving the recycling center on North Donahue Drive in Auburn.
"Quite frankly, it is one of the nicest facilities in the state," Hand said.
Stacy said Lee County's commitment to recycling is commendable, and Auburn's example to the rest of the state placed them at the front of the line to receive the first wave of recycling grants.
"The city of Auburn has had a recycling program for some time, and they've been an example to other cities and other areas," Stacy said. "So this is an opportunity for them to expand and to make it more comprehensive."
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