Carson City restaurant pilot project to involve 30 eateries wins recycling program grant

The Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Division of Environmental Protection’s Recycling Program has awarded grants to six Nevada organizations, including a Carson City pilot project involving 30 restaurants.

About $67,500 in grant funding has been made available for projects to increase recycling, public awareness of the importance of conserving natural resources, and for the reduction, reuse and recycling of solid waste. The funding comes from the Solid Waste Management Account that receives $1 per tire for each retail tire sold in Nevada.

Carson City: GreenUP! Green Dining District: $20,000
GreenUP! is a 501c3 organization that provides environmental education for businesses. Funds will be used to pilot the launch of a green dining district in Carson City that will provide recycling guides to 30 restaurants on Carson Street, between Stewart (south boundary) and Winnie Streets (north boundary) and encourage them to take action to eliminate straw usage, discontinue use of Styrofoam containers, compost their food waste, and practice energy saving measures at their establishments.

Donna Walden is the President of the Board for GreenUP! and is beginning the planning stages for implementing the new grant for Carson City.

"Restaurants are busy, and I believe they would do more for recycling and limiting waste if they had the time," said Walden. "That's why we're doing this. The incentives for restaurants are not only to help the environment, but to save a lot of money. If they're not wasting food, if they're using energy efficient lights and appliances, those are huge savings already."

Walden got the idea when she visited St. Louis's "green dining district" and thought immediately of Carson City.

"With Carson's initiative to make downtown more walkable, adding a green dining district would make perfect sense," said Walden. "Carson is a small but very important region, and there's a lot going on already there. It's the perfect place to start."

According to Walden, the average restaurant produces 100,000 pounds of garbage per year, and 95 percent of that could be composted. Which is bad for the environment and bad for business.

Restaurants that are interested will be presented with information for the year long program. A "champion" from each business would work with GreenUP! on a monthly basis to achieve waste reduction goals.

For more information on GreenUP! you can visit their website at www.greenupnow.biz/

The additional 2018 funded projects are:

Washoe County, Sierra Nevada College Onsite Composting: $3,491.87
Funds will be used to purchase a bear-proof storage shed, compost turner, wheelbarrow, and shovel to create an on-campus composting system that will serve 1,500 students, faculty and the local community. The school’s Green Council can no longer afford their previous system which included spending $150 a week to transport compostable materials to Carson City. The compost made on campus will be used in the school’s demonstration garden and greenhouse, which grows organic foods for the student base.

Yerington High School, Lyon County, New Recycling Program: $1,490.13
Funds will be used to introduce and promote a recycling program in the high school which currently has 430 students. Large bins and monthly advertising will be purchased, collection of recyclables will be implemented, followed by the materials being transported to a recycling plant through a partnership with Stanislaus Farm Supply.

Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe (Washoe County) - Recycling Truck: $22,521.50
The Paiute Tribe is requesting funds to purchase a vehicle to support the new recycling program throughout the reservation. This vehicle will be used to facilitate collection and transport to recycling facilities in Reno. The recycling program is the next step for the tribe’s Natural Resources Department’s Solid Waste Plan and would serve 617 households (approx. 1,500 residents) as well as those who use tribal land for recreational activities at Pyramid Lake and Burning Man. The recycling program had a 96% support response from a survey given to the residents.

Ely (White Pine County) - Ely Recycling Center: $8,296.50
Funds will be used to enhance the City of Ely’s existing recycling center with six new signs to clearly instruct residents on where to recycle what materials and a steel awning to cover the existing cardboard storage area. The recycling drop-off is located at the entrance to the landfill, and impacts an estimated 4,062 households and 442 businesses in White Pine County.

City of Henderson (Clark County) - Waste Warrior Green Box: $11,690
Funds will be used to support DRI’s Science Alive program to create an additional Waste Warriors Green Box for use in Henderson schools. The Waste Warriors Green Box exposes students in grades 3-5 to science and research focused on litter and waste issues. This program aligns with the City of Henderson’s Comprehensive Plan “Henderson Strong”, which serves as a long term guide to ensure a high quality of life for residents. Currently, there is one Waste Warriors Green Box available for check out, but it isn’t enough to meet the demand from the teachers.

Go here for more information about the Recycling Grant Program and recycling in Nevada.