Indiana’s Recycling Market Development Program (RMDP) awarded five organizations with $3.7 million in funding to expand recycling projects.
The projects will be funded throughout central Indiana through the Central Indiana Waste Diversion Project. Below is the list of groups and their awarded amounts:
- American Metals: Awarded $911,519 toward the purchase of equipment that will disassemble and process magnets, batteries and ferrous metals from items including EV motors, power tools and windmill turbines. The process will separate and conserve valuable critical and rare earth elements for future use in manufacturing. At full capacity, the lines would process 3,000 tons of battery material and 12,000 tons of magnet material annually. Currently, most waste of this type is shipped overseas for processing.
- Electronic Recyclers International, Indiana, Inc (ERI): Awarded $1 million to expand their solar panel collection opportunities. ERI will purchase proprietary solar panel recycling equipment that will allow safe dismantling and improved material recovery for a wide variety of solar panels. At the current rate of solar panel waste generation, the project will recycle an additional 250 tons annually.
- Heidelberg Materials Inc.: Awarded $500,000 to implement the “ConcreteCycle Indiana” project through the purchase of a closed-circuit plant and conveyors. This innovative concrete and rebar recycling project is designed to prevent the unnecessary disposal of valuable construction materials by diverting 75,000 tons of the material annually.
- Indiana Oxygen Company: Awarded $500,000 to purchase excavating, powder handling and drying equipment to process calcium hydroxide (lime) waste by-product material from the company’s holding pond. The dry product would then be provided to high-demand industries including Indiana farmers, power plants, wastewater treatment plants, highway departments and others. The holding pond has the potential to recover 74,000 tons of waste by-product.
- Republic Services: Awarded $788,481 to purchase an optical sorter for plastic commonly used for beverage bottles. The equipment would enhance sorting accuracy and handle increased volumes of all plastic material types received at the facility. The new equipment is anticipated to divert an additional 410 tons of plastic material annually.
The projects are set to boost Indiana’s economy by increased infrastructure for recycling, job creation and helping to solve local supply chain issues. For more information about RMDP, visit idem.in.gov.
This reporting is made possible by a grant from the Indianapolis African-American Quality of Life Initiative, empowering our community with essential health insights. https://iaaqli.org/
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Contact Health & Environmental Reporter Hanna Rauworth at 317-762-7854 or follow her on Instagram at @hanna.rauworth.
Hanna Rauworth is the Health & Environmental Reporter for the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper, where she covers topics at the intersection of public health, environmental issues, and community impact. With a commitment to storytelling that informs and empowers, she strives to highlight the challenges and solutions shaping the well-being of Indianapolis residents.
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