Cities and counties across Deep East Texas can apply now for grant money to clean up illegal dumps, run collection events or put in recycling equipment. The Deep East Texas Council of Governments has opened applications for its solid waste program, and the paperwork is due the last day of November.
DETCOG expects to make about 10 awards. The target amount is roughly $11,744 each, though the agency says some will come in higher and some lower.
Projects that qualify include community cleanup or collection events, recycling drop-off sites or equipment, illegal dump cleanups, household hazardous waste events, and public education campaigns on waste reduction or litter prevention.
What applicants need to know
There’s no online form. A physical copy of the completed application has to reach DETCOG at 1405 Kurth Drive in Lufkin by 4:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 30. Applicants can mail it or drop it off, but the deadline is a receipt deadline, so anything going through the mail needs to leave early enough to arrive.
Every application also needs a resolution of support from the applicant’s Commissioners Court or City Council. DETCOG is telling prospective applicants to look at their own meeting calendars early, since a resolution that misses a court or council date can hold up the whole application.
Applicants aren’t finished when the paperwork goes in. Each one will give a short presentation on the proposed project and take questions from the program’s advisory committee on Monday, Dec. 7, between 9 a.m. and noon.
Who to call
Josh Fleming, DETCOG’s regional services director, says the agency will help applicants fill out the form or provide technical assistance. He can be reached at (936) 634-2247, ext. 5302, or jfleming@detcog.gov. The application and program details are posted at detcog.gov/solid-waste-recycling.
DETCOG serves 12 counties in Deep East Texas and administers the solid waste money as a pass-through to local governments in the region. Fleming’s office is also willing to talk through a project idea before an applicant starts filling anything out.
