Collection Event Grants

The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality administers Collection Event Grants as part of its Solid Waste Management Grant program to support communities in managing difficult-to-handle waste streams. These grants are intended to fund the planning and execution of collection events that safely remove hazardous or hard-to-dispose materials from residential areas. The program aligns with the agency’s broader mandate to protect public health and the environment by reducing pollution associated with improper solid waste disposal. Collection Event Grants specifically support events focused on the collection of materials such as household hazardous waste, electronic waste, waste tires, unwanted residential pharmaceuticals, medical sharps, scrap metal, and other similar waste streams. These events may be conducted as a single occurrence or as a series of coordinated collection efforts. Applicants are required to follow strict environmental and operational standards, including the use of certified vendors such as R2 or e-Steward electronics recyclers for e-waste and coordination with state agencies like the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics for pharmaceutical disposal. Additional coordination is required for safe handling of medical sharps and recycling of tires through state programs. Funding for these grants is provided on a reimbursement basis, meaning that awardees must first incur eligible expenses and then submit documentation for reimbursement. A formal agreement and purchase order must be fully executed before any project expenditures are made; costs incurred prior to this approval are not eligible for reimbursement. The program does not allow reimbursement for certain capital expenses such as buildings, vehicles, laptops, or drones. However, a partial reimbursement structure exists for qualifying equipment, with up to 80 percent of costs covered for items priced between 5,000 and 50,000 dollars. Eligible applicants include a wide range of Oklahoma-based public entities such as municipalities, counties, tribal governments, and public institutions of higher education, as well as regional planning districts and organizations representing local governments. Nonprofit organizations may also apply if they can demonstrate that they provide unique or sole-source services relevant to the collection event. Applicants must submit a detailed scope of work and budget, along with responses to application questions covering event planning, target populations, partnerships, and prior experience with similar initiatives. The application process requires submission of a formal application, after which proposals are reviewed and scored based on criteria including environmental impact, feasibility, collaboration, and quality of the proposal. Selected applicants receive award notifications and must enter into a formal agreement with the department. Once the agreement and purchase order are executed, projects may begin. Awardees are required to submit monthly invoices, performance metrics, photographs, and descriptions of activities conducted. Reimbursements are typically processed within 45 days of invoice submission. For the Fiscal Year cycle referenced, applications were accepted between November 1, 2025 and February 28, 2026. All awarded funds must be expended within the fiscal year ending June 30, 2027, and final invoices must be submitted by August 31, 2027 to remain eligible for reimbursement. The program operates on a recurring annual basis aligned with the state fiscal year, providing ongoing opportunities for eligible entities to plan and implement community-based waste collection initiatives.

Focus on clear event logistics environmental impact measurable outcomes and strong partnerships with certified vendors