PRESS RELEASE
from the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy

For more information,contact
Carla Felix (402) 471-4223,
Amanda Woita (402) 471-4243,
Nathanael Urie (402) 471-4245, or
For Immediate Release
April 26, 2016


More Than $2 Million Awarded For Tire Collection, Recycling Projects

Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality Director Jim Macy announced today that the state is awarding $2.08 million to support 128 tire recycling and cleanup projects across the state.

"The agency received many outstanding applications from across the state,” Macy said. “These funds will provide needed support to local efforts which effectively deal with scrap tires in Nebraska.”

The grants support local efforts to clean up tire piles and conduct community scrap tire collections. In addition, funds will be used by schools and organizations across the state to provide partial reimbursement for playground mulch, synthetic turf fields, running tracks, and other recycled rubber projects that were made from scrap tires.

Nebraskans generate nearly 1.9 million scrap tires each year, about one tire for every person in the state. The grants are part of NDEQ’s Waste Reduction and Recycling Grants program, and are funded by a $1 fee on new tires purchased in Nebraska. Some highlights of 2016 grant recipients include:
  • Humphrey Public Schools received a $139,681 grant award to reimburse 25% of the cost of artificial turf for the football field, an athletic running track surface, and an artificial turf playground on the front lawn of the school for elementary students. The three construction products used a total of 534,717 pounds of recycled tire rubber from Nebraska scrap tires.
  • Nebraska Game & Parks Commission received a $23,366 grant award to reimburse 25% of the cost of 155 picnic tables to be used in 19 state parks and recreation areas in Nebraska. Each picnic table is made from recycled plastic and the equivalent of approximately seven passenger tires from Nebraska.
  • Millard Public Schools received a $74,784 grant award to reimburse 25% of the cost to replace an artificial turf football field originally installed in 2005. 80,000 pounds of crumb rubber infill were recovered from the old turf and reused in the new field, saving the school approximately $32,000.
  • Forty-one grants totaling $683,676 were awarded to Nebraska cities, counties, and Natural Resource Districts to hold scrap tire collections in 2016 to clean up 6,979 tons of scrap tires, representing approximately 697,900 passenger tires.

Below is a listing of the 2016 Waste Reduction and Recycling Tire Grants:


Applicant Name and Location
Project Description
Amount Awarded
Albion, City of
50% reimbursement of 44,000 pounds of rubber playground mulch
$3,405.00
Arcadia Public Schools
50% reimbursement of 20,727 pounds of rubber playground mulch
$1,608.00
Atkinson, City of (Holt)
250-ton scrap tire cleanup
$23,604.00
Axtell Community Schools (Axtell)
25% reimbursement of athletic running track
$27,697.00
Bassett, City of
250-ton scrap tire cleanup
$25,454.00
Beatrice, City of
25% reimbursement of poured-in-place playground
$5,361.00
Bellevue, City of
40-ton scrap tire cleanup
$4,080.00
Bierman, Mike (Falls City)
50% reimbursement of 18,720 pounds of 2" tire chips for erosion control
$187.20
Blair Community Schools
25% reimbursement of athletic running track
$25,280.00
Bloomfield, City of
25% reimbursement of rubber 26 timbers and 50% of 31,200 pounds of rubber playground mulch
$5,537.00
Cairo, Village of
25% reimbursement of 15 mats and 50% of 10,000 pounds of rubber playground mulch
$2,059.00
Cambridge Public Schools
25% reimbursement of athletic track maintenance system
$9,987.00
Cass Co. Dept. of Roads (Plattsmouth)
150-ton scrap tire cleanup
$11,940.00
Cedar County (Hartington)
275-ton scrap tire cleanup
$25,946.00
Central City, City of
25% reimbursement of 6 picnic tables and 2 benches
$1,183.00
Central City Public Schools
50% reimbursement of 81,900 pounds of rubber playground mulch
$11,802.00
Central Valley Public Schools (Greeley)
50% reimbursement of 40,950 pounds of rubber playground mulch
$5,801.00
Chase County (Imperial)
100-ton scrap tire cleanup
$11,902.00
College View Academy (Lincoln)
50% reimbursement of 83,850 pounds of rubber playground mulch and 25% of timbers & mats
$11,921.00
Columbus, City of
250-ton scrap tire cleanup
$22,102.00
Concordia University (Seward)
25% reimbursement of artificial turf football/soccer field
$113,325.00
Creighton University (Omaha)
25% reimbursement of 62,000 pounds rubber infill for artificial turf on baseball outfield
$6,814.00
Crete, City of
25% reimbursement of 13 park benches
$809.00
Dakota County (Dakota City)
50% reimbursement of 22,000 pounds of rubber landscaping mulch
$3,417.00
Dakota County (Hubbard)
80-ton scrap tire cleanup
$9,577.00
Davenport, City of
50% reimbursement 47,775 pounds of mulch; 25% of 35 timbers
$6,891.00
Diller-Odell Public Schools (Odell)
25% reimbursement of athletic running track
$22,525.00
District 145 Eagle Elementary (Eagle)
25% reimbursement of poured-in-place playground
$2,583.00
District 145 Hamlow Elementary (Waverly)
25% reimbursement of poured-in-place playground
$12,513.00
Dixon County (Allen)
100-ton scrap tire cleanup
$10,332.00
Elkhorn Public Schools
25% reimbursement of poured-in-place playground surface at Westridge Early Education Site
$7,411.00
Elkhorn Public Schools
25% reimbursement of two poured-in-place-playground surfaces at Arbor View Elementary
$24,970.00
Elm Creek Public Schools
25% reimbursement of a poured-in-place playground surface
$7,097.00
Falls City Sacred Heart (Falls City)
50% reimbursement of 48,000 pounds of rubber playground mulch
$7,595.00
Fillmore County (Geneva)
150-ton scrap tire cleanup
$13,304.00
Fremont, City of
200-ton scrap tire cleanup
$16,820.00
Fremont Public Schools
50% reimbursement of 45,680 pounds of rubber playground mulch for Bell Field Elementary
$5,275.00
Fremont Public Schools
50% reimbursement of 86,440 pounds of rubber mulch for three preschool playgrounds
$10,008.00
Fremont Public Schools
50% reimbursement 92,050 pounds of rubber playground mulch for Milliken Elementary
$10,625.00
Frontier County (Stockville)
75-ton scrap tire cleanup
$9,211.00
Gage County (Beatrice)
375-ton scrap tire cleanup
$30,801.00
Gothenburg Public Schools
25% reimbursement of rubber playground tiles
$13,201.00
Hastings Family YMCA
50% reimbursement of 15,600 pounds of rubber playground mulch
$1,884.00
Havco Kids One, Inc. (Lincoln)
25% installation/freight cost for rubber playground mats
$1,817.00
Head Start CFDP (Hastings)
50% reimbursement of 17,810 pounds of rubber playground mulch
$5,105.00
Heartland Comm. Schools (Henderson)
50% reimbursement of 60,450 pounds of rubber playground mulch
$8,676.00
Holdrege Public Schools (Holdrege)
50% reimbursement of 12,316 pounds of rubber playground mulch
$2,340.00
Humphrey Public Schools
25% reimbursement of athletic track and artificial turf field
$126,000.00
Humphrey Public Schools
25% reimbursement of artificial turf on the front lawn playground for elementary students
$13,681.00
Hyannis, Village of
150-ton scrap tire cleanup
$17,689.00
Jefferson County (Fairbury)
150-ton scrap tire cleanup
$12,512.00
Johnson County (Tecumseh)
75-ton scrap tire cleanup
$6,802.00
Kearney, City of
300-ton scrap tire cleanup
$24,525.00
Kearney County (Minden)
200-ton scrap tire cleanup
$16,764.00
Kearney Public Schools
25% reimbursement of an athletic running track and artificial turf for the football/soccer field
$107,386.00
Keep Alliance Beautiful (Alliance)
50% reimbursement of 32,370 pounds of rubber landscaping mulch
$5,210.00
Keep Alliance Beautiful (Alliance)
50% reimbursement of 3,900 pounds of rubber landscaping mulch
$632.00
Kenesaw Public Schools (Kenesaw)
50% reimbursement of 74,100 pounds of rubber mulch and 25% of 40 timbers
$11,162.00
Kidnect Child Development , LLC (LaVista)
25% reimbursement of a poured-in-place playground
$4,643.00
Kimball, City of
150-ton scrap tire cleanup
$17,640.00
KKO Investments/Going Vertical(Omaha)
25% reimbursement of an indoor artificial turf soccer field
$22,500.00
Kloefkorn PTO (Lincoln - LPS)
25% reimbursement of playground mats
$3,679.00
Knox County (Center)
100-ton scrap tire cleanup
$9,760.00
Little Blue NRD (Hebron-Thayer Co.)
116-ton scrap tire cleanup
$10,458.00
Little Blue NRD (Clay Center-Clay Co.)
151-ton scrap tire cleanup
$13,468.00
Loomis, Village of
50% reimbursement of 25,350 pounds of rubber playground mulch
$3,568.00
Lower Elkhorn NRD(West Point)
450-ton scrap tire cleanup for 10 counties
$41,450.00
Lower Loup NRD (Loup City)
300-ton scrap tire cleanup for 3 counties
$26,654.00
Lower Loup NRD (Ord)
350-ton scrap tire cleanup for 11 counties
$30,204.00
Lower Repub. NRD(Blue Hill-Webster Co)
75-ton scrap tire cleanup
$6,932.00
Lower Repub. NRD(Hildreth-Franklin Co)
77-ton scrap tire cleanup
$7,335.00
Lower Republican NRD(Alma-Harlan Co.)
90-ton scrap tire cleanup
$8,492.00
Madrid, Village of
250-ton scrap tire cleanup
$29,360.00
Madrid, Village of
25% reimbursement of 2 benches and 50% of 16,560 pounds of rubber playground mulch
$4,619.00
Milford Public Schools
25% reimbursement of a poured-in-place playground
$15,034.00
Millard Public Schools
25% reimbursement of an artificial turf football field @ Millard South High School
$74,784.00
Mullen, Village of (Hooker/Cherry Co.)
50-ton scrap tire cleanup
$10,332.00
Nebr. Game & Parks Commission (Lincoln)
25% reimbursement of 155 picnic tables to be placed in 19 state parks
$23,366.00
Neligh-Oakdale Schools (Neligh)
25% reimbursement of an athletic track surface
$18,414.00
Nemaha County (Auburn)
100-ton scrap tire cleanup
$9,452.00
Neumeister, Justin (Auburn)
50% reimbursement of 3,800 pounds of rubber playground mulch
$121.00
Norfok Catholic School (Norfolk)
25% reimbursement of a poured-in-place playground
$11,353.00
North Central Development. Center (Ainsworth)
50% reimbursement of 19,500 pounds of rubber playground mulch
$3,536.00
North Platte, City of
100-ton scrap tire cleanup
$11,302.00
No. Platte Public Schools
25% reimbursement of an athletic track with D-zones and three runways at the high school
$32,230.00
No Platte Public Schools
50% reimbursement of 1,750 SF of rubber playground mulch for Lincoln Elementary
$4,393.00
Northeast Nebraska Shooting Assn.(Norfolk)
25% reimbursement of 3 picnic tables and 1 bench
$662.00
Nuckolls County (Nelson)
120-ton scrap tire cleanup
$10,620.00
Omaha, City of
200-ton scrap tire cleanup
$24,232.00
Omaha Public Schools
25% reimbursement of playground mats at Fullerton Elementary
$7,314.00
Omaha Public Schools
25% reimbursement of playground mats at Dundee Elementary
$6,578.00
Omaha Public Schools
25% reimbursement of an artificial turf football field at Omaha Central High School
$66,225.00
Omaha Public Schools
25% reimbursement of playground tiles at Wakonda Early Childhood Center
$5,423.00
Omaha Public Schools
25% reimbursement of playground tiles at Harrison Elementary
$7,840.00
Omaha Public Schools
25% reimbursement of playground tiles at Florence Elementary
$8,339.00
Omaha Public Schools
25% reimbursement of playground tiles at Pawnee Elementary
$3,478.00
Omaha Public Schools
25% reimbursement of playground tiles at Sherman Elementary
$6,241.00
Omaha Public Schools
25% reimbursement of playground tiles at Minne Lusa Early Childhood Center
$6,486.00
Omaha Public Schools
25% reimbursement of athletic track and D zones at Benson High School
$48,789.00
Ord Public Schools
25% reimbursement of poured-in-place playground
$7,702.00
Papio-Missouri River NRD
25% reimbursement of a poured-in-place playground surface @ Platte Landing
$4,125.00
Paxton Consolidated Schools (Paxton)
25% of reimbursement of athletic running track surface
$23,168.00
Pierce County (Pierce)
100-ton scrap tire cleanup
$9,020.00
Prague Improvement & Maint (Prague)
25% reimbursement of a poured-in-place playground surface
$8,349.00
Ralston Public Schools (Ralston)
50% reimbursement of 6,000 pounds of rubber artificial turf infill
$1,462.00
Ralston Public Schools (Ralston)
50% reimbursement of 22,000 pounds rubber mulch for four elementary schools
$4,725.00
River City Recycling/Spectracom(Omaha)
50% reimbursement of a tire shredder
$133,948.00
St. John's Lutheran Preschool (Alliance)
50% reimbursement of 3,926 pounds of rubber playground mulch
$677.00
St. John Lutheran School (Seward)
25% reimbursement of a bonded rubber playground
$20,403.00
St. Paul, City of
50% reimbursement of 2,070 pounds rubber landscaping mulch
$434.00
Saline County (Wilber)
150-ton scrap tire cleanup
$12,510.00
Sandhill Plastics (Kearney)
50% reimbursement of 86,478 pounds of crumb rubber for manufacturing flooring products
$4,973.00
Saunders County (Wahoo)
120-ton scrap tire cleanup
$9,926.00
Sherman County (Loup City)
25% reimbursement of 4 picnic tables and 2 benches
$758.00
Shickley Public Schools
50% reimbursement of 27,300 pounds of rubber playground mulch
$4,166.00
Shickley, Village of
50% reimbursement of 54,600 pounds of rubber playground mulch and 25% of 3 swing mats
$7,143.00
Sidney, City of
350-ton scrap tire cleanup
$40,862.00
South Central NE USD #5 (Lawrence)
50% reimbursement of 28,000 pounds of rubber playground mulch
$3,920.00
Stapleton, Village of (Logan+3 Counties)
200-ton scrap tire cleanup for four counties
$23,540.00
Stella, Village of
50% reimbursement of 30,100 pounds of rubber playground mulch
$903.00
Sterling Public Schools
50% reimbursement of 45,500 pounds of rubber playground mulch
$4,750.00
Superior Public Schools
50% reimbursement of 40,950 pounds of rubber playground mulch and 25% of 6 rubber mats
$5,896.00
SWANN (Chadron)
85-ton scrap tire cleanup for three counties
$12,752.00
Trenton, Village of
125-ton scrap tire cleanup for Hitchcock County
$14,010.00
University of Nebraska Athletics (Lincoln)
25% reimbursement of an artificial turf field inside Cook Pavilion
$93,272.00
Valentine Community Schools
25% reimbursement of an athletic running track
$21,502.00
Van Winkle, Shauna (Beatrice)
50% reimbursement of 2,000 pounds rubber landscaping mulch
$424.00
Wayne, City of
25% reimbursement of rubber playground tiles
$4,418.00