Circular Economy & Waste Management Scholarships
January
1) A&WMA International Scholarships
Amount: Varies by named award; the official page says award amounts are subject to change.
Deadline: January 14, 2026 for the application, with materials due January 21, 2026.
Apply/info: https://www.awma.org/scholarships
Why It Slaps: This is one of the cleanest high-fit options for students who want their scholarship list to actually match circular economy and waste work instead of vaguely “green” majors. A&WMA specifically names scholarships tied to solid and hazardous waste research, waste management research and study, and waste minimization, which makes it especially strong for graduate students working on landfill systems, materials recovery, waste policy, waste reduction, industrial ecology, or sustainability tied to air and waste systems. It is also a strong credibility signal because it comes from a long-established professional association rather than a generic essay contest.
February
2) Horry County Solid Waste Authority Environmental Scholarship
Amount: $1,000
Deadline: February 6, 2026
Apply/info: https://www.solidwasteauthority.org/scholarship.html
Why It Slaps: This is a strong local option for high school seniors because it is directly tied to a solid waste authority, not just general environmental interest. That matters for this page because the scholarship explicitly includes students pursuing degrees related to the environment, waste management, public education, or health promotion. Local authority-backed scholarships can also be more realistic to win than giant national awards, especially for students who can show volunteer work, recycling leadership, or a clear service mindset in their community.
3) SWACO Scholarship Program
Amount: $2,500 per academic year, up to $10,000 over four years
Deadline: March 31, 2026
Apply/info: https://www.swaco.org/500/Scholarship-Program
Why It Slaps: SWACO is one of the best high school-facing scholarships on this list because it is both field-relevant and renewable-like in structure. The scholarship is built for students pursuing environmental science, environmental studies, engineering, or other majors applicable to the solid waste management field, and the annual renewal model gives it far more long-term value than a one-time local award. For students who want to build a college funding strategy around sustainability or recycling-adjacent work, this is exactly the kind of scholarship that deserves priority.
March
4) EREF Scholarship Program
Amount: Up to $16,000 per year for doctoral students; up to $10,000 per year for master’s students
Deadline: March 2, 2026
Apply/info: https://erefdn.org/scholarships/how-to-apply/
Why It Slaps: For graduate students, this is one of the strongest true waste-management scholarships in the country. EREF is laser-focused on solid waste management research, so students working on waste diversion, landfill engineering, organics, reuse systems, recycling technologies, resource recovery, or waste policy are in the sweet spot. The funding level is also much stronger than most niche environmental scholarships, which makes it especially valuable for research-heavy master’s and doctoral students who need more than a small one-time award.
5) ReMA PSI Scholarships
Amount: One $5,000 grand scholarship plus additional $2,500 scholarships
Deadline: March 2, 2026
Apply/info: https://www.recycledmaterials.org/wp-content/uploads/2026-PSI-Scholarship-Application.pdf
Why It Slaps: This is one of the best recycling-industry scholarships for families already connected to the paper stock and recovered materials side of the business. Because it is tied to the ReMA Paper Stock Industries Chapter, it is much more specific than a general sustainability scholarship, and that usually means the applicant pool is more relevant and less random. If a student has family ties to a member company and wants to build a future in recycling, circular supply chains, packaging recovery, or materials markets, this scholarship fits the page almost perfectly.
April
6) Waste to Resource Ontario (W2RO) Scholarship Program
Amount: $2,000
Deadline: April 1, 2026
Apply/info: https://www.w2ro.org/articles/scholarship-program-2026-applications-now-open
Why It Slaps: This is a clean, on-topic scholarship for students pursuing careers in waste management, recycling, and resource recovery, which makes it one of the most direct circular-economy fits on the list. It is especially useful for students in Canada or those building an international section on the page because it frames the field as a professional pathway, not just a passion topic. Students interested in operations, policy, organics, diversion, or recycling system design should treat this as a real target, not just a backup.
7) Waste Connections Scholarship
Amount: $1,000
Deadline: April 13, 2026
Apply/info: https://www.lakeway-tx.gov/1993/Waste-Connections-Scholarship
Why It Slaps: This is a smart local scholarship because it combines environmental awareness with a direct connection to trash and recycling service. It is built for twelfth-grade students whose families are customers of the city’s Waste Connections program, so it rewards students who can connect community service, environmental habits, and academic effort in a practical way. Local utility- or hauler-linked scholarships are often less crowded than national awards, and that makes this the kind of scholarship families should not ignore just because the dollar amount looks modest.
8) Mendon Board of Health / E. L. Harvey & Sons Scholarship
Amount: $1,000
Deadline: April 16, 2026
Apply/info: https://www.mendonma.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=82
Why It Slaps: This scholarship is worth listing because it comes from a public-health and waste-services partnership, which gives it a nice crossover between environmental responsibility and community impact. The local nature of the award makes it a better-than-average odds play for nearby seniors, and it fits this page because the sponsor connection is directly tied to the waste and hauling world. Students who can tell a good story about stewardship, neighborhood cleanliness, recycling habits, or environmental responsibility can make this kind of scholarship work well.
9) Pompano Beach / Coastal Waste & Recycling Environmental Scholarships
Amount: $2,500
Deadline: April 17, 2026 at 11:59 p.m.
Apply/info: https://www.pompanobeachfl.gov/blog/the-future-is-green-college-environmental-scholarships-now-available
Why It Slaps: This is one of the better city-backed awards on the list because the amount is meaningful, the sponsor is directly tied to waste and recycling, and the eligibility rules are still clear enough for high school seniors to act on quickly. The award recognizes academic achievement, community service, and environmental involvement, which is a strong mix for students who have done cleanup projects, eco clubs, recycling outreach, or sustainability volunteering. For a student in Pompano Beach, this should be near the top of the application stack.
10) Darrell and Andrea Chambliss Family Scholarship
Amount: Up to $20,000 total distributed across up to three awards
Deadline: April 20, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. CT
Apply/info: https://scholarshipamerica.org/scholarship/nwrf/
Why It Slaps: This is one of the highest-value scholarships on the page, and it is unusually smart because it recognizes three different kinds of future waste-industry talent: safety and compliance, technological advancement, and leadership development. That means students do not need to be traditional environmental-science majors to fit; operations, engineering, data, public administration, safety, and management students can all make a real case here if their studies connect to waste and recycling. For applicants with a family or employee connection to an NWRA member company, this is a must-apply scholarship.
11) NWRA Women’s Council Scholarship
Amount: Individual award amounts are determined by the sponsor
Deadline: April 20, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. CT
Apply/info: https://scholarshipamerica.org/scholarship/nwrf/
Why It Slaps: This scholarship stands out because it is designed to support leadership, growth, and professional development among NWRA member employees and their families. That makes it especially useful for students who want to build careers in the waste and recycling industry but may come from business, communications, operations, management, or other nontraditional pathways into the sector. For a circular-economy page, that wider doorway matters because real-world waste systems need leadership and workforce development just as much as they need engineering.
12) Micky & Ellen Flood Scholarship
Amount: Individual award amounts are determined by the sponsor
Deadline: April 20, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. CT
Apply/info: https://scholarshipamerica.org/scholarship/nwrf/
Why It Slaps: This award is especially strong for applicants who can show a believable long-term future in the waste and recycling industry. The official page says preference goes to students who show promise to continue in and make meaningful contributions to the field, so it rewards applicants with a clear industry story rather than just generic environmental interest. Students with family business exposure, operations experience, or a well-defined career goal in resource recovery, hauling, materials processing, or recycling management should take this one seriously.
13) Republic Services / City of Alhambra Environmental Scholarship Program
Amount: Five $1,000 scholarships
Deadline: April 22, 2026 at 5:30 p.m.
Apply/info: https://www.alhambraca.gov/DocumentCenter/View/7567
Why It Slaps: This one deserves a spot because it is a direct partnership between a major waste company and a city recycling program, which gives it exactly the kind of sector relevance this topic needs. The essay theme is environmental stewardship, and the scholarship is open to graduating seniors in Alhambra with no GPA requirement, so it creates access for students who may be strong in service, ideas, and motivation even if they are not chasing perfect grades. It is a good example of a local scholarship that is both practical and highly on-brand for circular economy content.
May
14) Chemung County / Casella Waste Systems Scholarship
Amount: $2,500
Deadline: May 1, 2026
Apply/info: https://www.chemungcountyny.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=282
Why It Slaps: This is a strong county-and-industry scholarship for students who can show an environmental career path and solid academic preparation. Casella’s involvement makes it especially relevant to waste, recycling, and resource management, while the county partnership adds legitimacy and local visibility. Students from Chemung County who want a scholarship that actually speaks the language of environmental careers rather than generic green branding should put this high on the list.
15) Robert P. Stearns/SCS Engineers Scholarship Award
Amount: $5,000
Deadline: May 4, 2026
Apply/info: https://swana.org/community/awards-scholarships/scholarships
Why It Slaps: This is one of the cleanest graduate-school fits on the page for students entering or already in graduate study related to solid waste management. Because it is backed by SWANA and tied to environmental science, engineering, and related majors, it has strong field credibility and clear alignment with landfill systems, solid waste planning, resource management, and environmental services. For applicants with SWANA membership ties, this is one of the most directly relevant branded scholarships in the field.
16) Harvey W. Gershman Scholarship
Amount: $5,000
Deadline: May 4, 2026
Apply/info: https://swana.org/community/awards-scholarships/scholarships
Why It Slaps: This scholarship is especially useful for upper-level undergraduates who are already moving toward the waste or resource-management world. The official page says it is for full-time university students pursuing studies applicable to solid waste or resource management and intending to seek employment in the industry, which makes it one of the most on-topic undergraduate awards on this page. If a student wants to show serious career intent rather than just environmental interest, this is a strong fit.
17) ReMA Michigan Chapter Scholarship
Amount: Four scholarships of $5,000
Deadline: May 15, 2026
Apply/info: https://www.recycledmaterials.org/wp-content/uploads/Michigan_Chapter_Scholarship_2026.pdf
Why It Slaps: This is one of the stronger chapter-based industry scholarships because the amount is meaningful and both undergraduate and graduate applicants are eligible. It is specifically for employees of member companies or their dependents, spouses, or children, which means it is highly relevant to students already connected to the recycled materials industry. For students in scrap, recycling, materials processing, or circular supply chain families, this is exactly the kind of scholarship page entry that can produce real wins.
18) ReMA New England Chapter Scholarship
Amount: Three scholarships of $3,000 each
Deadline: May 29, 2026
Apply/info: https://www.recycledmaterials.org/wp-content/uploads/New-England-Scholarship-2026-Application.pdf
Why It Slaps: This scholarship stands out because it is specifically built for employees or dependents of member organizations in the ReMA New England Chapter, which keeps the audience tightly connected to the recycling and recovered materials industry. The 2026–2027 packet also shows the scholarship amount increased to $3,000, which makes it more competitive than many local chapter awards. Students in trade, technical, two-year, or four-year programs can all fit here, so it is broader than it first looks.
June
19) ReMA Southeast Region Abe Brenner & Ken Iverson Scholarship
Amount: $1,250
Deadline: June 19, 2026
Apply/info: https://www.recycledmaterials.org/chapter/southeast-region/southeast-region-scholarships/
Why It Slaps: This is a good late-cycle scholarship for students tied to the recycled materials business in the Southeast. It is open to dependents of employees of ReMA Southeast Region member companies, and it supports both college and vocational school paths, which makes it more flexible than many industry awards. If a student missed the heavy March-through-May scholarship rush, this is a useful later deadline with clear waste-and-recycling relevance.
October Watchlist
20) Circular Arizona Scholarship
Amount: Two scholarships of $2,500
Deadline: The currently posted cycle is closed; the last verified deadline was October 1, 2025
Apply/info: https://circulararizona.org/scholarships
Why It Slaps: This is one of the rare scholarships that uses the language of the circular economy directly instead of just saying sustainability in a broad way. It is built for Circular Arizona members working toward a degree in sustainability or a major that benefits the sustainability sector, with Arizona college enrollment and coursework requirements. Even though the current page shows the scholarship closed, it is still worth tracking for the next cycle because it is one of the most on-theme scholarships available for this topic.
FAQ
Are circular economy scholarships different from general environmental scholarships?
Yes. The best circular economy scholarships usually connect more directly to recycling, waste reduction, resource recovery, reuse systems, materials management, landfill diversion, or waste-industry careers. That is why many of the strongest matches on this page come from SWANA, ReMA, EREF, A&WMA, SWACO, and waste-service partnerships instead of broad “green” scholarship directories.
Are these only for environmental science majors?
No. Several verified scholarships on this list also fit students in engineering, safety, operations, public administration, leadership, policy, data, technical training, and other fields that support waste and recycling systems. That is especially clear in the NWRA programs, SWANA scholarships, and several chapter-based ReMA awards.
Are there scholarships here for high school seniors?
Yes. Strong high-school-friendly options include Horry County SWA, SWACO, Waste Connections Lakeway, Pompano Beach/Coastal Waste & Recycling, Republic Services/City of Alhambra, and several local or county partnership awards.
Why are so many of these tied to member companies or industry chapters?
Because waste and recycling is a highly industry-driven field. Some of the most relevant scholarships are intentionally designed for employees, children of employees, or dependents of member companies so they can build the next generation of talent inside the sector. That usually makes them more targeted and often less random than broad national scholarships.
What if a deadline has already passed?
Keep the scholarship on your radar. Many of the programs on this page run annually, and the best move is to bookmark the official page, note the usual month, and prepare essays and recommendation requests early. That strategy is especially useful for association and chapter scholarships, which often reopen on a similar seasonal schedule.
