Grant Partners Florida Tech with Habitat for Humanity

– Florida Tech associate professor of civil engineering, Dr. Howell Heck, has received a $99,200 grant from Brevard County Solid Waste Management Dept.,
issued through the Florida Dept. of Environmental Protection Innovative Recycling/Waste Reduction Grants Program. It funds Heck’s proposal to improve the
environment and to support Habitat for Humanity’s efforts to generate income to fund low-cost housing projects.

The FDEP grant supports a project to reduce the amount of construction and demolition waste put into landfills. As importantly, the grant funds work to
increase the economic value of the materials when reused or recycled, to help Habitat of Humanity.

Project personnel will collaborate to improve the building material reuse center, the ReStore, operated by Habitat for Humanity in Melbourne. They also
plan to develop better ways to collect, store and transport the construction and demolition waste.

The project coordines the Brevard County Solid Waste Management Department, Habitat for Humanity of South Brevard and the Florida Tech Department of Civil Engineering. Local area building contractors and landfill operators will also participate.

The three primary organizations will work together to divert waste at construction sites and recover the construction and demolition waste at landfills.
This effort is designed to result in more, better-quality construction materials to be sold by the Habitat for Humanity ReStore.

The HFH ReStore is located at 4450 Enterprise Court in Melbourne, one-quarter mile south of Eau Gallie Blvd., off John Rodes Blvd. The store is open Monday
through Saturday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. For more information call (321) 255-5750.