The Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling grant program is a new grant program authorized by the Save Our Seas 2.0 Act and funded through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also referred to as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, provides $275 million for Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling grants to support Building a Better America. This is allocated as $55 million per year from Fiscal Years 2022 to 2026 to remain available until expended. EPA was provided an additional $2.5 million in Fiscal Year 2022 funding to implement the program.

The Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling program provides grants to implement a strategy to improve post-consumer materials management and infrastructure; support improvements to local post-consumer materials management and recycling programs; and assist local waste management authorities in making improvements to local waste management systems.

To find out how Drive Clean Indiana can assist your organization, these documents from Drive Clean Indiana and the EPA have information. You may also email rlisek@drivecleanindiana.org or call 219-644-3690.

Congrats to Muncie Sanitary District on the largest 2023 RMDP Grant Award of $468,798.00!

DCI was proud to write this grant that will increase recycling collection in Muncie.

Thanks to other project partners Best Equipment Company and Cummins Inc. for the CNG Recycling Trucks!

Eight Universities Will Receive Supplemental Funds to Expand Student-Led Energy Assessments to Commercial Buildings

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced $3.2 million in supplemental funding to expand the Industrial Assessment Centers (IACs) program. IAC programs at select universities assist small- and medium-sized manufacturers in reducing their carbon emissions and lowering energy costs, while training the next generation of energy-efficiency workers.

Under this announcement, eight current IAC universities will expand their programs to also include commercial building assessments. This latest investment in the IAC program will help remove barriers to decarbonization across the manufacturing and commercial sectors and advance the Biden Administration’s goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have just released the 2023 Fuel Economy Guide. The Guide provides detailed fuel economy estimates for model year 2023 light-duty vehicles, along with estimated annual fuel costs and other information for prospective car buyers.

In 2021, over 70% of all plug-in vehicles on the road were assembled in North America, with 65% of them built in the United States. Japan was a distant second at 12%, followed by Germany at 6%. Since 2011—the first full year of mass market plug-in vehicle sales in the U.S.— a greater share of plug-in vehicles has been assembled domestically than conventional internal combustion-powered vehicles.

Source: David Gohlke, Yan Zhou, Xinyi Wu, and Calista Courtney, Argonne National Laboratory, Assessment of Light-Duty Plug-in Electric Vehicles in the United States, 2010–2021, ANL-22/71, 2022.

The Indiana Department of Transportation is asking for input on planning studies along the U.S. 30 and U.S. 31 corridors in northern Indiana. The studies will be collaborative, data-driven, and influenced by the public to define the future of each corridor. INDOT is inviting ideas and input from communities within the study areas (including Kosciusko and Marshall County) to identify what needs or concerns should be addressed by future improvements.

For more information on each study, and to share ideas, visit the project websites: ProPELUS30.com and ProPELUS31.com.

Cummins Inc. is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and distributes engines, filtration, and power generation products. Cummins also services engines and related equipment, including fuel systems, controls, air handling, filtration, emission control, electrical power generation systems, and trucks. Cummins talks about the state of adoption among alternative fuels in the following article.

Headquartered in Columbus, Indiana, Cummins sells in approximately 190 countries and territories through a network of more than 600 company-owned and independent distributors and approximately 7,200 dealers.

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Best Equipment Company is a family owned and operated company based out of Indianapolis, IN. Best Equipment’s headquarters are located in Lawrence, IN with an additional full service facility located in North Royalton, OH.

Owners, Mike and Maria Dahlmann, have been involved in the company since the early eighties, acquiring the company from Mike’s father in 1998.

Having specialized in environmental equipment solutions since 1917, Best Equipment has a long history of providing Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky with productive, environmentally sound, efficient, and budget saving solutions. Best Equipment is proud to provide top notch service and support in the refuse and recycling, storm water and sewer, sweeping and litter control, yard waste and turf control, and hydroexcavtion industries

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Electricity can be used to power all-electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles directly from the power grid. Vehicles running on electricity produce no tailpipe emissions. The only emissions that can be attributed to electric vehicles are those generated in the production process at the power plant. The electric grid is an easily accessible driving energy.

Electricity used to power vehicles is generally provided by the electricity grid and stored in the vehicle’s batteries. Fuel cells are being explored as a way to use electricity generated on board the vehicle to power electric motors. Unlike batteries, fuel cells convert chemical energy from hydrogen into electricity. Home recharging of electric vehicles (EVs) is as simple as plugging them into an electric outlet. Electricity fueling costs for electric vehicles are reasonable compared to gasoline, especially if consumers take advantage of off-peak rates. However, electricity costs vary across the U.S. depending on location, type of generation, time of use and access point (home, business, etc). Many states have public access electric outlets at libraries, shopping center, hospitals and businesses.