Massachusetts awards $2.9M in recycling grants

Massachusetts’ Baker-Polito administration has awarded $2.9 million to 262 municipalities and regional solid waste districts for Sustainable Materials Recovery Program (SMRP) grants that will help communities maximize recycling, composting and waste reduction programs. 

“Some of the most important environmental protection work happens every day in communities across the Commonwealth,” says Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker. “With this assistance from the Sustainable Materials Recovery Program, local officials, residents and small business owners can continue the important work of protecting neighborhoods and natural resources.”

“Through the Sustainable Materials Recovery Program, our administration continues to partner with cities, towns and regional organizations to increase recycling and decrease the disposal of valuable materials,” adds Massachusetts Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito. “These grants provide the funding necessary for communities to tailor their individual recycling programs to the needs of their residents.”

Under SMRP, which was created under the Green Communities Act and is administered by Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP), 219 communities qualified for the “Recycling Dividends Program” (RDP) and will receive payments ranging from $2,100 to $97,500 for a total of $2.93 million statewide, the Baker-Polito Administration reports in a news release about the grants. 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 the establishment of recycling programs in schools, municipal buildings and other public spaces.

Also included in this grant round, 43 municipalities will be awarded a total of $44,000 for a “Small-Scale Initiatives Grant.” These population-based grants range from $500 to $2,000 each and help communities purchase modest, but critical recycling materials and outreach tools needed to sustain their existing recycling program or to facilitate new, low-cost initiatives. 

"Organics, paper, metals and plastic constitute more than 65 percent of the materials we throw away today, but the Commonwealth has made it a priority to recycle and reuse these valuable materials,” adds MassDEP Commissioner Martin Suuberg. “These SMRP grants will help communities pump up their current recycling programs, capturing more materials that can be reused and recycled, and helping them cut their waste disposal costs.”

The RDP was rolled out in 2014 as the newest initiative under MassDEP's Sustainable Materials Recovery Program, which was created by the Green Communities Act of 2008. The act requires that a portion of the proceeds from the sale of Waste Energy Certificates (WECs) be directed to recycling programs approved by MassDEP. The SMRP initiative has provided more than $35 million to local and regional recycling programs since 2010, the Baker-Polito Administration reports.

The number of municipalities that qualified for RDP grants increased 11 percent over last year and the amount awarded increased by more than 14 percent. Twelve Massachusetts municipalities will receive payments in excess of $50,000: Cambridge at $97,500; Boston at $80,000; New Bedford at $78,000; Springfield and Worcester, both at $71,500; Brockton at $68,000; Quincy at $65,000; Lowell at $64,000; Taunton at $52,500; Lynn and Newton, both at $52,000; and Brookline at $51,000. Twenty-seven municipalities are first-time recipients of Recycling Dividends Program funds.