Cobb wins grant award to improve sustainability infrastructure

Cobb County residents will have more recycling opportunities after the US Department of Energy (DOE) awarded the county a grant as part of a program to support clean energy projects.

Cobb County will receive more than $500,000 to construct a Center for Hard to Recycle Materials (CHaRM) facility, upgrade electric vehicle charging facilities, and develop a Sustainability Action Plan for the county.

"We are so excited and grateful in Cobb County to have the opportunity to focus on sustainability measures and ensure all residents, employees, and visitors have a clean and sustainable environment," said Cobb's Chief Sustainability Officer Kimberly White. "Besides funding infrastructure improvements, the grant will help us think forward by building a sustainability strategic plan for Cobb County. The path to a sustainable future in Cobb County has arrived!"

The award came from the DOE's Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program, part of the Biden Administration's $550 million Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Cobb's future CHaRM facility will improve environmental health by diverting waste and other hard-to-recycle items from landfills and water systems. The grant will also allow the county to replace 11 outdated public electric vehicle chargers with more efficient models and purchase seven solar-powered off-grid charging stations to support the county's fleet electrification efforts.

To learn more about the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program, visit this website.