901 Municipal Waste Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Grant

The Act 101, Section 901 Household Hazardous Waste Education Grant is administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Waste Management, Division of Waste Minimization and Planning. The program is authorized under Section 901 of the Municipal Waste Planning, Recycling and Waste Reduction Act, Act 101 of July 1988, and grants are allocated from the Recycling Fund authorized under Act 101. The program is available to Pennsylvania counties and supports educational programs concerning household hazardous waste, commonly referred to as HHW, and pollution prevention, as well as other technical assistance to small businesses for pollution prevention. The Commonwealth describes the application period as open. The program reimburses counties for up to 80 percent of approved project costs. A county may request up to $75,000 every two years for costs associated with HHW educational programs. HHW educational costs incurred on or after January 1, 2016 are eligible for grant funding. The applicant must provide at least 20 percent of total project costs as its match. Approved direct costs may include staff time devoted directly to the project, HHW education, administration of the HHW education program, in-kind services, and other miscellaneous direct costs necessary to satisfactorily complete the scope of work. In-kind services may only be claimed as match, while other approved costs may be used toward the applicant match requirement. Administration costs may comprise no more than 10 percent of total project costs. Eligible HHW education activities include planning, conducting, and advertising registered HHW collection events and conducting HHW public education. Educational activities may use flyers, posters, online advertising, radio, television, newspapers, and other applicable media. HHW education administration may include county staff administrative time spent directly on the project and in-kind services such as match or volunteer time for HHW educational events. Ineligible expenses include costs associated with County Recycling Coordinators who apply for a Section 903 grant, capital costs such as equipment and construction, direct salaries outside the hourly direct cost associated with the project, grant application preparation costs, indirect costs, and costs reimbursed through another Department grant. General overhead expenses such as utilities, office space rental, depreciation, general telephone service, general office supplies, corporate insurance, and administrative or accounting costs not directly related to the grant are also ineligible for grant funding or match. Eligibility is limited to Pennsylvania counties. Applicants must prepare a project narrative explaining the pollution prevention or household hazardous waste problems confronting the county, how the proposed project will address the identified problems, other sources of funding that have been evaluated or applied for, and what could occur if the Section 901 application is not approved. Applicants must also provide a detailed project schedule and, when consulting firms or subcontractors will be used, identify them if known and explain their selection and how their costs were established. The program budget must identify the DEP share, applicant match, and total project cost for education and HHW education administration. Applicants must provide a basis for costs, complete detailed scope of work information, describe the nature and valuation of match contributions, and describe volunteer tasks and anticipated hours for registered HHW collection events. Supporting documents may include bids, quotes, drafts, and HHW educational items. Before meeting with a DEP Regional Recycling Coordinator, the county is required to complete the program's pre-application document. The final grant application must then be submitted electronically through the Single Application for Assistance on the Department of Community and Economic Development website. Paper and faxed applications are not accepted. Applicants expecting to receive $10,000 or more must complete and upload the Worker Protection Form with the electronic grant submission under Executive Order 2021-06. Counties that have not enrolled in the Pennsylvania Electronic Payment Program are encouraged to enroll and complete the bank section of the Direct Deposit enrollment documentation to prevent payment delays. The source identifies the application period as open but does not provide a specific opening date, closing date, award notification date, or project performance period. It also does not state a recurring application cycle; the provision allowing a county to request up to $75,000 every two years is a funding-frequency limitation rather than an explicit application-cycle schedule. Program questions may be directed to jaheindel@pa.gov or 717-787-9614. Questions about completing the online application may be directed to the Enterprise eGrants Customer Service Center at egrantshelp@pa.gov or 1-833-448-0647. The online application is the required submission method, and applicants should complete the pre-application document and coordinate with their DEP Regional Recycling Coordinator before proceeding with the electronic submission.

Use specific work items rather than broad generalizations in the Scope of Work. Ensure DEP Share does not exceed 80% of Total Project Costs and Applicant Match is at least 20%. Keep HHW education administration at or below 10% of Total Project Costs. Do not include indirect costs as grant-funded costs or match. Clearly document the nature and valuation of match and provide the basis for budgeted costs.