NASHVILLE – The Department of Environment and Conservation’s Division of Solid Waste Management is notifying 11 counties and their municipalities that generate the most waste in Tennessee that they are eligible for recycling rebates based on their final 2008 waste generation reporting data.

Recycling rebates are made available to the 11 counties that generate the most waste in Tennessee, based on data reported for both landfilled and diverted waste. The rebate requires a dollar-for-dollar match, and may be used for establishing new programs and collection sites, preparing recyclable materials for transport, marketing and developing educational programs to promote and advertise recycling.

A total of $300,000 is available for recycling rebates from the Solid Waste Management Fund for fiscal year 2009-2010, with funds allocated to county and municipal governments based on county waste generation data and population. The Solid Waste Management Fund is comprised of tipping fee surcharges at Tennessee landfills and tire pre-disposal fees. The 11 counties eligible to share the current pool of funding include Davidson, Hamilton, Knox, Loudon, Madison, Montgomery, Rutherford, Shelby, Sullivan, Sumner and Williamson Counties.

All counties and municipalities must return an application to the Department of Environment and Conservation to receive the rebate funds. Each municipality has the option of retaining the rebate or surrendering its rebate funds to the county, and each county may surrender its rebate funds to a municipality if it handles the recycling for the county.

If a municipality fails to respond, its funds will be made available to the county. If the county does not respond, the funds are returned to the Solid Waste Management Fund.

For more information about recycling rebates and other solid waste assistance programs, visit www.tn.gov/environment/swm/grants.  Below is a complete list of the recycling rebates available to the 11 counties and their municipalities.