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County official says state cuts advertising funds for compost, recycling grants
Summary
A county waste program coordinator told the fiscal court that the state's Division of Waste Management awarded significantly less advertising funding in the 2025 grant cycle, forcing local programs to scale back outreach even as some operational items were approved.
Ally, the county waste program coordinator, told the Franklin County Fiscal Court on May 14 that the Kentucky Division of Waste Management awarded far less advertising support this grant cycle, leaving local outreach plans curtailed.
"They did not approve any requests for advertising for composting, recycling, or hazardous waste for any group this year," Ally said as she reviewed a packet of awards. She said the county requested about $288,230 last year and received most of it, while this year the application asked for roughly $288,000 and received $66,488 in approvals overall, with advertising entirely cut.
Ally detailed approved items that remained in the awards: backyard-compost supplies, a compost thermometer, a recurring chipper allocation of $11,000 and funding for a hazardous-waste collection event (about $19,500). She said a requested track loader (skid steer) for a compost pad and school vermicomposting kits were not approved.
Court members pressed for more clarity about the equipment denials and were told the Division received a substantially higher volume of applications than funds available; Ally said the recycling grant pool received about $13 million in requests against roughly $6 million available. The grant administrator told her the committee made blanket limits and chose not to award advertising in this cycle.
Magistrates and staff cited concern about outreach gaps. Ally said the loss of advertising money would hinder efforts to correct public misunderstandings about which residents may use county recycling services and to promote programs such as "Yard Waste Wednesday" drop-offs and school recycling drives.
The court discussed local options for compensating: increase partnerships with private haulers, rely on the county's Frank Waste app funding (which was approved), and pursue alternative local advertising. The court took no formal vote tied specifically to the grant decisions but later voted to authorize staff to apply for the waste-tire grant and moved forward with routine procurement items related to road and recycling operations.
The court recessed at noon for a planned road trip to inspect flood-damaged areas; Ally said she would follow up with the state grant administrator about equipment-feedback and bring any additional clarification back to the court.
