Officials with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources said Thursday, that the Environmental Protection Commission has approved projects throughout Iowa to reduce waste going to landfills. The action  came during the EPC’s meeting on September 18th. 14 local governments, three private for-profit and two private not-for-profit projects were approved to receive DNR Solid Waste Alternatives Program (SWAP) funding, amounting to just over $606,500.

In southwest Iowa: The West Central Iowa Solid Waste Management Association (which serves Crawford, Carroll and Shelby Counties), received $60,436, to update its residential and commercial outreach programs, to begin recycling incentive programs, provide new opportunities for residential document recycling, and to develop and begin an electronics recycling program. The funds will also help them to expand commercial and institutional cardboard and paper container programs.

And, the City of Shenandoah received $20, 744, to purchase a tandem axle spreader and box scraper, that will allow the city to collect sludge from its wastewater treatment plant facility, and distribute it across surrounding farmland, as fertilizer.