After a successful relaunch in 2023, the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) announces that its Recycling Grant Program is returning for Fiscal Year 2027. With $1 million in funding available, ADEQ encourages Arizona businesses, nonprofits, schools, and local governments to apply for grants that support recycling efforts, reduce landfill waste, and help build a circular economy in our state.
Seeing communities embrace the return of this program has been truly inspiring,
said JB Shaw, ADEQ Recycling Program coordinator. This funding gives local areas the power to innovate, generate new jobs and ensure Arizonaâs valuable resources stay right here at home.
In the 2026 Fiscal Year grant cycle, ADEQ granted nearly $1 million to 16 diverse organizations across the state. The selection process highlights a surging demand for circular economy and materials management support in Arizona. The program received an overwhelming response from communities eager to launch or expand local recycling efforts, supporting everything from municipal infrastructure to grassroots nonprofit initiatives.
Arizona-based nonprofit Borderlands Produce Rescue (BPR) is one of 16 grant recipients. For over 30 years, BPR has worked to rescue fresh produce and divert it from landfills, organizing its mission around three core principles: Rescue, Redistribute, and Recycle. With the support of the ADEQ Recycling Grant over the past two years, BPR successfully scaled its Potpourri for Animals and Compost (PAC) Program, which rescues severely spoiled produce and redirects it towards composting and animal feed.
The ADEQ Recycling Grant resolved a critical tension for us, allowing us to increase our overall produce intake while drastically decreasing landfill dumping,â said Yolanda Soto, president and chief executive officer of BPR.
Creating change of this scale requires sustained commitment, and this funding allowed us to expand the PAC Program from a last resort into our second-largest major program. Absent this grant, this tonnage would have added more than 1 million pounds of methane-generating waste to our local landfill. This investment directly helps families eat nutritiously while supporting a healthier planet.â
The grant enabled BPR to hire a dedicated PAC coordinator, contract vital labor, and purchase essential equipment. This infrastructure allowed the nonprofit to properly sort and prepare clean products, free of cardboard and pallets, to meet the specific needs of local agricultural partners. Over the past two years, rancher and farmer participation in the program increased by 10%, and the volume of produce diverted to the PAC Program grew by an impressive 77%, mitigating the environmental cost of landfill emissions across Arizona.
Organizations can apply for the FY2027 funding in one or more of the following areas:
- 91²Ö¿â Reduction Assistance (WRA) â Programs such as curbside recycling, household hazardous waste collection, and other projects that significantly reduce solid waste.
- 91²Ö¿â Reduction Initiative Through Education (WRITE) â Educational outreach and behavior-change campaigns that promote proper recycling and waste disposal.
- Recycling Research & Development (RR&D) â Development of new products, tools, or methods that reduce landfill use by turning waste into usable materials.
To help guide applicants through the process, ADEQ is offering both virtual and in-person workshops. These sessions will walk participants through the application steps, share tips for submitting a strong proposal, and provide an opportunity to ask ADEQ staff questions directly. Completed applications are due by 3 p.m. Tues., Sept. 29.