The Missouri Market Development Program

Would your business like to begin or expand the use of recycled materials in the manufacturing of new products and receive grant funding to help?

The Missouri Market Development Program is seeking qualified applicants for up to $50,000 in financial assistance incentive grants. The grants are for the purchase of equipment to be used in final processing of recyclables (excluding metals) for production, or in manufacture of new products using recovered materials as feedstock. A 25 percent match is required from most applicants.

Examples of recently funded projects:

Strategic Materials Inc. (St. Louis) received $50,000 to purchase equipment to enable the company to effectively process recovered material from light bulb and lamp recyclers into a marketable product. Strategic Materials is the largest glass processor in the United States, handling 33 percent of the domestic cullet market.

DoCo Inc. (Ava) received $50,000 toward equipment costing $67,088 to implement a project that will turn scrap wood received at the facility into mulch. DoCo is a sheltered workshop and recycling center that provides employment for 24 developmentally disabled people.

Loganbill Enterprises Inc. (Versailes) received $50,000 toward purchasing a compost turner, tractor and screen costing $132,241. The new compost production operation will use litter from local poultry barns, food waste from central Missouri correctional facilities and yard waste from nearby communities to create a finished product that will be sold in bulk or bagged.

Any individual, private business, non-profit or public institution currently operating in Missouri, or who will be operating in the state as a result of the project, is eligible. All projects must be technically feasible for full-scale operation and comply with all applicable environmental, safety and legal requirements.

The Market Development Program helps ensure that recyclables collected from residents and businesses are used in the manufacture of new products that are purchased and used by consumers. This creates a more sustainable economy for Missouri and at the same time protects the environment, conserves resources and reduces reliance on landfills for solid waste disposal.

The Market Development Program is administered by the state Environmental Improvement and Energy Resources Authority and assisted by the University Extension Business Development Program. In addition to financial incentives, the program provides companies with:

information about the financial and environmental benefits of using recycled materials;
help in locating recycled materials that can be used in manufacturing the company's products;
technical and financial help in adapting manufacturing processes to use recycled materials; and
assistance in promoting recycled products and services.

Information concerning the availability of recycled materials is provided through the Missouri Recycled Products Directory. Markets for recovered materials can be found in the Missouri Directory of Markets for Recovered Materials. To read about more Show Me Recycling success stories, see the Missouri Recycling Association website at www.mora.org.

For more information, contact:

Missouri Environmental Assistance Center/ Market Development Program
200 Engineering Building North
Columbia, MO 65211
Phone: 573-882-5011
Fax: 573- 884-4297
E-mail: MOEAC@missouri.edu
Web site: www.missouribusiness.net/environmental/market_development.asp

This story was featured in the Jan. 2008 newsletter

- Leah Christian, Research Assistant, MU Environmental Assistance Center 08/17/09