Costa Mesa gets grant for recycling projects

The city of Costa Mesa will receive a $30,886 Beverage Container Recycling grant, resulting from a program offered by the State Department of Conservation aimed at assisting local recycling projects.

City staff will propose that the funds be appropriated for public education campaigns on the benefits of recycling, as well as purchasing park amenities constructed with recycled products.

The funds are made available through redemption costs consumers pay when purchasing recycled materials, which are in turn funneled to local agencies, Costa Mesa Recycling Coordinator Donna Theriault said.

“We’re going to be doing some partial funding, along with some other Orange County cities, to put together a segment of a public television program called ‘Curiosity quest’ — all about recycling,” she said. “We’ll use the majority of the money to purchase park amenities.”

To date, the city has received more than $90,000 in Beverage Container Recycling grants and has appropriated the funds to purchase picnic tables, park benches and other public furnishings.

— Chris Caesar