Missouri Waste Management Grant Information

Missouri Waste Management Grants are vital sources of financial support for any group’s environmental initiatives. Local, state, and federal funding is often available specifically for certain types of environmental projects that help the government reach their own legislative goals.

For organizations within Missouri who are interested in starting or expanding a waste reduction project, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources has funding available for each of the 20 solid waste management districts, labeled “A” through “T”, in their state to use. Understanding what type of projects these funds are allocated to and figuring out which waste management district in Missouri you reside in will allow you to start applying for these grants when the application cycles open.

Funding Source

Missouri’s Department of Natural Resources is able to provide these funds to their waste management districts because the state collects a certain percentage of the money generated by their districts’ landfill tonnage fees for their solid waste management fund. This method of raising funds has allowed the state of Missouri to support local waste management and reduction efforts that are either already approved by the districts solid waste management plan or would be approved by and included within the districts solid waste management plan.

Applicant Eligibility

Not sure if your project qualifies for funding? Your project will most likely be approved for funding if it can help the waste management district promote waste reduction, waste education, the reusing of materials, and the developing of recycling and composting initiatives.  If you are looking for examples on what kind of projects receive funding some districts, like District L: the St. louis-Jefferson Solid Waste Management District, have lists of types of previously funded waste reduction programs and the organizations who have received those funds.

Applicable Funds

District L also provides a list of what the grant-funding was used for, which can help you understand what part of your projects can be supported. These funds covered the cost of certain program operations, like educational resources, containers for the collection of materials, and hauling. It should be noted though that ineligible costs are those that aren’t needed for the project to operate, such as legal costs, taxes, and land acquisition.

Application Timeline

Each district has their own unique time-windows for accepting grant applications. Some, like District B, the North Missouri Solid Waste Management District, accepts applications on an open cycle. This is certainly not the case for all districts. Deadlines for submitting applications for these funds should be found on each district’s website. However, this information may not be available if the window for submission has already passed for the year. Fortunately, there is a way to circumvent this issue.

Missouri SWMD Map and Websites

Not all waste management districts have kept their website as well maintained or informative as District B or District L has. Below you will find a list with all the contact information for each of the waste management districts’ representatives, so if you find that your district’s site is outdated or does not contain much information on these grants, you will be able to ask for any relevant updates and information using the information below. If you are unsure about which waste management district you or your organization resides in, the DNR also has provided its residents with this helpful map:

Here is a list of contacts for each Missouri Solid Waste Management District to contact to learn more about the funding.

Get Help with Missouri Waste Management Grants

Reduction In Motion has been able to leverage these funding opportunities to help its clients from MO achieve their zero-waste goals. One such example is helping a bakery receive $75,000 in 2022 to install new equipment to help them achieve their goal of zero waste. They started with a 40% waste diversion rate and are now at 80% thanks to our help and these funds.

If you or your organization is interested in starting its own waste reduction program, funding from MO’s solid waste management fund could help support your environmental efforts. Contact us today to see how we can help.