WVDEP’s REAP grants continue to make a big impact on local programs

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection’s (WVDEP) Rehabilitation Environmental Action Plan (REAP) received final reports from select 2021 grant recipients, showing the impact the funding has on local programs.

REAP tabulated results from recipients for the 2021 Litter Control and Covered Electronic Devices (CED) grant cycles, which saw 38 award winners receive just under $136,000 in funding.

Established in 2008 under REAP, the CED Program requires that manufacturers register their brands with the State. The fees collected from this program allow counties and municipalities to apply for CED grants to conduct electronic collection events and support ongoing collection programs.

The goals of the program are to establish a registration process for manufacturers of covered electronic devices, to determine if manufacturers have adopted or implemented a free take-back/recycling program for their products, and to award recycling grants to counties and municipalities for recycling or other programs that divert covered electronic devices from the waste stream.

The Litter Control Grant is a matching fund that assists municipalities and county governments with community cleanup and litter enforcement projects. The maximum amount for a Litter Control Grant is $5,000 and that money is only authorized for certain uses, such as continuing or expanding a local litter control program, enforcing anti-litter statutes, paying costs associated with razing abandoned buildings or structures, among others.

REAP, whose motto is ‘Keeping WV Clean and Green,’ was created in 2005 and strives to clean up West Virginia and rid the state of litter. The program empowers citizens to take ownership of their communities by providing technical, financial, and resource assistance in cleanup and recycling efforts. More information is available on the REAP webpage: https://dep.wv.gov/environmental-advocate/reap/Pages/default.aspx.

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