Revised Program Priority System for Waste Reduction and Recycling Incentive Grants Program
This guidance document is advisory in nature but is binding on an agency until amended by such agency. A guidance document does not include internal procedural documents that only affect the internal operations of the agency and does not impose additional requirements or penalties on regulated parties or include confidential information or rules and regulations made in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act. If you believe that this guidance document imposes additional requirements or penalties on regulated parties, you may request a review of the document.

Form #: 16-004 Guidance Documents Revised: 3/16/21


A revised version of the Program Priority System for Title 199 – Waste Reduction and Recycling Incentive Grants Program, was developed by the then-Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality in 2015, after extensive discussions with stakeholders. The revisions were approved by the Environmental Quality Council on November 12, 2015, and will be used for evaluation and ranking of the 2016 grant applications. Below is the revised Program Priority System.


'Program Priority System' for the Title 199 – Waste Reduction and Recycling Incentive Grants Program

Function of the Program Priority System: To enable grant reviewers to objectively and quantitatively score applications commensurate with the impact of the project proposal on: the reduction of waste, increased recycling, composting, market development for recyclables, public education and planning, increased technical assistance, implementation of household hazardous management programs, and removal of barriers to waste reduction in the service area.
Section 1: Proposal Elements. These questions evaluate standard elements which should be present in any grant application.
None
Low
Med
High
1. Describe the project and what the project will accomplish.
0
1
2
3
2. Provide a timeline with specific tasks to be accomplished at each milestone date during the 1 year grant term.
0
1
2
3
3. What is your service area? You may include a map or other materials.
0
1
2
3
4. Explain how your project will benefit the area defined for your project.
0
1
2
3
5. How was the need for this project determined?
0
1
2
3
6. What mechanism will be used to measure / analyze program effectiveness?
0
1
2
3
7. Explain how your program will achieve demonstrable direct results.
0
1
2
3
8. Are there other providers or entities that provide similar services as this project? If so, please explain how this project is different.
0
1
2
3
9. Are there other entities that would partner with this project? Who are they?
0
1
2
3
10. Will this project be on-going after the funding has ended?
0
1
2
3

MAXIMUM POINTS for Section 1: Proposal Elements


30

Section 2: Project Furtherance of State Waste Reduction and Recycling Goals. This question is your opportunity to "sell us your project" in terms of its effectiveness at reducing waste.



11. Describe how your project reduces the amount or toxicity of solid waste generated or landfilled in Nebraska. If applicable, you may relate your answer to any of the project purposes listed below and explain how your project achieves the purpose(s).
Eligible projects include, but are not limited to:
  1. Technical and financial assistance to political subdivisions for creation of recycling systems and for modification of present recycling systems;
  2. Recycling, waste reduction, and diversion projects, including public education, planning, and technical assistance;
  3. Market development for recyclable materials separated by generators, including public education, planning, and technical assistance;
  4. Capital assistance for establishing private and public intermediate processing facilities for recyclable materials and facilities using recyclable materials in new products;
  5. Programs which develop and implement composting of yard waste, food waste, sewage sludge, or other organics;
  6. Technical assistance for waste reduction and waste exchange for waste generators;
  7. Programs to assist communities and counties to develop and implement household hazardous waste management programs;
  8. Capital assistance for establishing private and public facilities to manufacture combustible waste products and to incinerate combustible waste to generate and recover energy resources;
  9. Reimbursement of costs to cities of the second class, villages, and counties of five thousand or fewer population for the deconstruction of abandoned buildings. Eligible deconstruction costs will be related to the recovery and processing of recyclable or reusable material from the abandoned buildings.
  10. Other projects to remove barriers to waste reduction, such as:
    • Technical barriers (filling technology gaps, providing technical assistance, planning and program development);
    • Financial barriers (access to capital);
    • Infrastructure/system barriers (material management information/reports, material markets, facilities);
    • Knowledge/skills/abilities (KSA) barriers (baseline measurement, improvement through education, training, skill building); or
    • Motivational barriers (incentives and disincentives to waste reduction, engagement of uninvolved market segments)
0
10
20
30

MAXIMUM POINTS for Section 2: Furtherance of State Waste Reduction Goals


30

12. Does the eligible project employ disabled or handicapped persons?
5 points

Section 3: The remaining portion of the Program Priority System is for use by the NDEE Waste and Air Grants staff. The points assigned in the following sections are derived from mathematical calculations and not based on the subjective opinion of reviewers.

TYPE OF PROGRAM: The following table indicates how each program will be rated on the basis of the type of program submitted for funding. The rating is commensurate with Nebraska’s Waste Management Hierarchy from the most preferred to the least preferred method of managing waste.
Points Assigned
Volume Reduction at the Source, and/or Toxicity Reduction
20 points
Reuse, Recycling and Vegetative Waste Composting
15 points
Land Disposal and Incineration with Energy Recovery
10 points
Incineration for Volume Reduction without Energy Recovery
5 points

UTILIZATION OF RESOURCES: Grantees are highly encouraged to utilize all available resources including cash match and in-kind donations.
Points Assigned
At or above 50% cash and in-kind donation match
10 points
Between 25% and 49% cash and in-kind donation match
5 points
Below 25% cash and in-kind donation match
0 points

MAXIMUM POINTS for Section 3: Solid Waste Hierarchy and Utilization of Project Resources
30

TOTAL POINTS POSSIBLE per application
95