The Houston-Galveston Area Council has $1,100,000 in funding from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) for FY20-21 solid waste grants. These funds are intended for projects that will provide direct and measurable reductions in the amount of waste going into landfills or reduce environmental risk by decreasing improper disposal of waste. Eligible grant categories are:

• Local Enforcement

• Source Reduction and Recycling

• Local Solid Waste Management Plans

• Litter and Illegal Dumping Cleanup and Community Collection Events

• Household Hazardous Waste Management

• Technical Studies

• Citizens’ Collection Stations and “Small” Registered Transfer Stations

• Education and Training

H-GAC received twenty-eight applications from local governments and school districts totaling $2,387,984.32. A subcommittee comprised of members and alternates of H-GAC’s Solid Waste Management Committee (SWMC) reviewed the proposals during applicant presentations on November 4 and 5, 2019, and scored them for merit, cost-effectiveness, and level of local effort. The subcommittee also identified areas in proposals where grant amounts will be reduced because of items ineligible for funding, items too costly for the expected benefit they would produce, or items not critical to the project’s success.

On November 13, 2019, the SWMC reviewed these recommendations and voted to approve and forward them to the H-GAC Board of Directors. The SWMC recommended full or partial funding for sixteen projects, totaling $863,347.72, electing to retain $236,652.28 for future projects. The SWMC viewed the lower-scored projects as either having a less significant regional impact or not exhibiting an immediate need. The results on the SWMC final ranking, funding recommendations, and comments are shown on the following pages. The recommended list is subject to TCEQ approval. The SWMC will develop a specific recommendation for programming the $236,652.28 fund balance at their January 2020 meeting.

TCEQ

Request authorization to contract with recommended applicants for FY20-21 solid waste management funds. (Staff Contact: Jeff Taebel)