Sustainable Materials Management Grant

The Benton County Sustainable Materials Management Grant initiative aims to reduce environmental impacts across the full lifecycle of materials by supporting community projects in the areas of sustainable materials management, waste reduction, reuse, and recycling. In 2022, the county awarded a total of $20,000 to five grant recipients, each with projects focusing on waste reduction or the reuse of materials.

Grant Recipients 2022-2023

Corvallis Sustainability Coalition

The Corvallis Sustainability Coalition has launched Benton To Go, a reusable take-out container program for local restaurants. Restaurant customers can receive meals in reusable take-out containers, and either rinse and return them, or exchange them for sanitized containers at any participating restaurant. The initiative aims to reduce the number of single-use, disposable take-out containers being used and disposed in the landfill. Grant funds will help purchase marketing materials and promotions and cover other project costs for the initiative in its pilot phase. Corvallis Sustainability Coalition will track project impact based on restaurant reports of Benton To Go containers sold and reused, and any reductions in purchases of disposable containers.

McGuire Mechanism

Based in Philomath, OR, McGuire Mechanism assists small producers with custom engineering solutions. McGuire Mechanism is using grant funds to help Benton County farmers and local artisans utilize scrap, junk, and otherwise unused materials in their work. The goal of their grant funds is to reuse scrap materials, diverting resources from the landfill, while supporting the local community and economy. McGuire Mechanism will measure project impact in the weight and cost of materials saved from reused items.

Philomath High School

Philomath High School received grant funds to install hand dryers for school bathrooms. The new hand dryers will reduce the amount of paper towel usage at PHS, reduce life cycle impacts of the paper towels, and decrease waste generated and disposed in the landfill. The PHS Green Team will monitor hand dryer installation and measure the project impact on the school’s paper towel waste generation.

The Arc

The Arc Benton Furniture Upcycling Project is a community volunteer group that upcycles otherwise unsellable donated pieces of furniture. Using materials and equipment funded by the grant, the group meets to clean, paint, repair, reupholster, refinish, and recycle furniture that would have otherwise been denied. The goal of the initiative is to reuse existing solid materials, reduce demand for new production and resources, and to reduce solid waste in Benton County’s landfill. To track the project impact, the Arc will keep a record of the pieces of furniture they accept, which they would normally have denied. Revenue from the furniture sales go towards the Arc’s mission of advocacy and programs for people with developmental disabilities.

Vina Moses

Vina Moses Center is using grant funds to expand their capacity for collection and storage of reused and donated items. The expanded space creates greater accessibility and capacity for their donations and sorting. The project will support Vina Moses’s mission to provide Benton County residents experiencing poverty and/or homelessness with material goods and financial assistance. The impacts of the grant reward will be measured in savings to volunteer and staff time, increased donation hours, and value of donated items.

Timeline of important dates:
October 30: Q1 (July 1, 2022 through September 30, 2022) Grant Reports Due
January 30, 2023: Q2 (October 1, 2022 through December 31, 2022) Grant Reports Due
April 30, 2023: Q3 (January 1, 2023 through March 31, 2023) Grant Reports Due
June 30, 2023: All projects completed. Earlier completion dates may be required for some projects.
July 30, 2023: Q4 (April 1, 2023 through June 30, 2023) and Final Grant Reports Due

Quarterly Report forms for grant recipients can be downloaded here (or in a Word Document version).

The 2022 grant application period has closed. Please check this webpage for grant updates in 2023.