From the Mayor’s Office:

The City of Pittsburgh recently won a $476,031 recycling grant, which was an increase over the grant the previous year.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection issued the Recycling Performance Grant after the city and private haulers together recycled more than 59,528 tons of residential and commercial material. The grant for collections in 2012 was an increase from the roughly 53,000 tons collected in 2011, which resulted in a $433,000 grant.

The funds go directly into the city’s General Fund.

“Recycling not only helps our planet but our city budget too,” Mayor William Peduto said. “I want to thank all of our residents and businesses for participating, while challenging them to do even better in the future.”

The recycling program is part of Pennsylvania Act 101, which mandates recycling in the state’s larger municipalities.