MassDEP awards $3.2M in grants to municipal recycling programs

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP), Boston, has awarded $3.2 million in grant funding to 269 municipalities and regional solid waste districts throughout the state through its Sustainable Materials Recovery Program (SMRP). According to a news release from MassDEP, the grants will help communities across the state to grow their recycling, composting and waste reduction programs.

“Some of the most important environmental protection work happens every day in communities throughout Massachusetts through local recycling and solid waste programs,” says Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker. “With this assistance, we are ensuring that local officials, residents and small business owners can continue protecting the commonwealth’s neighborhoods and natural resources.”

Massachusetts Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito says the SMRP grants have helped to improve recycling programs across the state in past years. As a result, she says, the state is awarding 7 percent more in funding to SMRP this year compared with 2019.

Under SMRP, 227 communities qualified for the Recycling Dividends Program (RDP) and will receive payments ranging from $2,450 to $97,500. The RDP recognizes municipalities that have implemented policies and programs proven to maximize materials reuse and recycling as well as waste reduction. Communities that earn RDP payments must reinvest the funds in their recycling programs for things such as new recycling bins or carts, public education and outreach campaigns, collection of hard-to-recycle items and establishing recycling programs in schools, municipal buildings or public spaces.

As part of this SMRP grant round, 42 municipalities that did not apply for or qualify for an RDP payment will be awarded a total of $45,250 for a Small-Scale Initiatives Grant, MassDEP reports. These population-based grants range from $500 to $2,000 each and help communities purchase recycling materials and outreach tools needed to sustain their existing recycling program or to facilitate new, low-cost initiatives.

With the grants, MassDEP reports that 12 Massachusetts-based municipalities earned a payment of at least $50,000, including Cambridge at $97,500; New Bedford at $91,000; Boston at $80,000; Springfield and Worcester at $71,500; Brockton, Lowell, Newton and Quincy earning between $60,000 and $70,000; and Brookline, Chicopee and Lynn earning between $50,000 and $60,000. A full list of grant recipients is online.

MassDEP launched its RDP in 2014 as part of its SMRP, which was created by the Green Communities Act of 2008. The act requires that a portion of proceeds from the sale of waste energy certificates be directed to recycling programs approved by MassDEP. The SMRP initiative has provided more than $41.6 million in recycling programs since 2010.