The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) awarded the Village of Pleasant Prairie a grant in the amount of $59,369 for their 2007 recycling program. The funds from the grant will be used to cover operating expenses related to the recycling and leaf collection programs, including: labor, supplies and equipment use. This supplements monies received from utility billing and sales of recycling containers.

The Public Works Department for the Village of Pleasant Prairie applied for this grant in September of 2006. They were notified this month that the grant was awarded and funds would be received prior to June 1 of this year. In order to qualify for the grant, the Village must comply with multiple grant conditions and guidelines. These include meeting a recycling volume of 106 pounds per capita during the year. During 2006, Pleasant Prairie's per capita poundage of recycled material was almost 240 pounds.

The Village will be responsible for tracking and reporting all recycling related expenses to the DNR by April of next year. If expenses for the 2007 recycling program are less than the grant monies, the difference will be returned to the DNR. The Village has been awarded this grant from the DNR to assist in their recycling efforts for more than ten years. "As we continue to hear media reports on predicted shortages of the planet's resources, it helps to know that all of the residents and businesses in Pleasant Prairie are doing what they can to help recycle and reuse," commented John Steinbrink Jr, Streets and Parks Superintendent for the Village. "Providing recycling services provides a long range solution to some of our most pressing environmental challenges."