Massachusetts municipalities receive $5.2M in recycling grants

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey has announced nearly $5.2 million in grant funding to 283 municipalities and regional solid waste districts across Massachusetts.

The grants, made available by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) through the Sustainable Materials Recovery Program (SMRP), will help communities bolster their recycling, composting and waste reduction programs, says MassDEP in a news release.

The full list of awards is available here.

“Some of the most important environmental protection work happens every day in communities across our state,” Healey says. “These grants help further our collective efforts to meet our aggressive goal of 90 percent waste reduction by 2050, while also boosting local economies by investing in the waste reduction industry.”

The Sustainable Materials Recovery Program provides funding for recycling, composting, reuse and source reduction activities that will reduce the amount of waste disposed of in landfills and incinerators. Waste prevention and recycling reduces greenhouse gas emissions by capturing the embodied energy in products and packaging waste and converting it into new products. More than $50 million has been awarded through the program since 2010.

“Recycling programs play a vital role in limiting our dependence on landfills and incinerators, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and supporting economic activity across our state,” Massachusetts Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper says. “These grants help communities cycle resources back into our economy and support local businesses throughout the collection, processing and manufacturing chain.”

Funds have been awarded in several categories, including start-up incentives for Pay-As-You-Throw programs, containers for the collection of mattresses, wheeled carts for curbside collection of food waste, equipment for the collection of mercury-bearing items, regional small-scale initiatives and the Recycling Dividends Program.

This year, 278 communities qualified for the Recycling Dividends Program and will receive funding totaling $3.65 million. Communities receiving funding must reinvest in their own municipal recycling efforts. Under the program, 15 municipalities have been awarded Recycling Dividends Program payments of more than $50,000: Arlington, Attleboro, Boston, Brockton, Cambridge, Chicopee, Framingham, Lawrence, Lowell, Lynn, New Bedford, Newton, Quincy, Springfield and Worcester, Massachusetts.

“Recycling Dividends Program awards give communities the opportunity to make critical investments in their recycling programs—ultimately capturing more materials that can be recycled or reused, and helping them to reduce their waste disposal costs,” MassDEP Commissioner Bonnie Heiple says. “This is another example of MassDEP’s commitment to building strategic partnerships with our local communities to build a more sustainable future.”

Pay-As-You-Throw, a program where residents purchase preprinted bags, stickers or tags for trash disposal to pay directly for the amount of waste generated, is a proven waste reduction strategy that continues to be a priority for MassDEP, the agency says. Funds were awarded to five municipalities and totaled more than $1 million. This includes awards between $150,000 and $300,000 each for Arlington, Marshfield, North Attleborough and Westborough.

Funding for Universal Waste Sheds was awarded to eight communities for their drop-off facilities for the collection of mercury-bearing items; $5,000 was awarded to each municipality. MassDEP also awarded $110,000 to 11 municipalities for mattress collection containers to facilitate residential mattress recycling at their drop-off facilities.

Wheeled-cart grants for the curbside collection of food waste were awarded to the city of Medford in the amount of $105,000 for a new town-wide collection program. The towns of Nahant and Norwood also received funding for a curbside food waste collection pilot program, at $2,100 and $10,500, respectively.

Finally, a grant of $250,000 was awarded to the South Shore Recycling Cooperative—representing 12 towns— for the establishment of a permanent household hazardous waste facility based in Hanover.

“We have big climate goals in Massachusetts and achieving those goals will take a continued partnership between state government and our municipal partners throughout the Commonwealth, which is exactly what we see with these grants,” State Sen. Becca Rausch (D-Needham) says. “I’ve heard that towns and businesses need these financial supports to implement green infrastructure upgrades, including today’s $5.2 million in SMRP grant funds, the ‘Green the Garbage’ composting pilot program I secured in this year’s budget and more. Congratulations to the 283 municipalities and regional solid waste districts receiving grant awards.”