Waste authority to receive grant

LEWISTOWN - The Mifflin County Solid Waste Authority will receive more than $30,000 in a state funded performance grant, Rep. Kerry Benninghoff, R-Bellefonte, announced Tuesday.

Mifflin County Recycling Coordinator Kerry Tyson said the grant amount is determined by the amount of materials recycled each year in the county.

"Every year I prepare a report to the state saying 'this is what was recycled in Mifflin County.' They (the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection) look at the tons that have been recycled and it gets plugged into one big formula and they come up with a grant for the county," Tyson said.

In 2006, the county recycled 3,224 tons of eligible materials, which was used to determine the grant amount.

Benninghoff said he was pleased to "see the state rewarding local communities for their hard work."

"Recycling is a key weapon for us to preserve our way of life, while maintaining a healthy environment for future generations," he said.

Tyson said the grant would be used as part of the solid waste authority's recycling budget.

"We put it right back into the recycling program," he said.

The authority operates several recycling drop off locations, including sites at the Brown Township building, the Burnham Lions Club, the Derry Township building, One Stop Communications, the Hartman Center and the Armagh Township building.