Massachusetts awards $1.4 million in recycling grants

The government of Massachusetts has announced Sustainable Materials Recovery Program (SMRP) grants worth more than $1.4 million awarded to 216 municipalities and regional solid waste districts in the state. The grants are designed to help 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, we are ensuring that local officials, residents and small business owners can continue to protect our neighborhoods and natural resources.”

“Recycling and waste reductions efforts are critical to our goal of reducing the waste stream,” adds Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito. “These grants bring much needed assistance to municipalities that struggle to educate residents about why recycling can make a difference in their communities and bottom line[s].”

Out of 216 awardees, 137 went to communities that qualified for the SMRP's “Recycling Dividends Program” (RDP). Those communities will receive payments ranging from $1,200 to $68,000, for a total of $1.18 million statewide. The RDP grants go to municipalities that have implemented policies and programs “proven to maximize materials reuse and recycling, as well as waste reduction.”

The two largest grants, both for $68,000, went to the cities of Fall River and Worcester. A full list of the communities and waste districts that were awarded grants can be found here.

Communities that receive 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 or other public spaces.

Other grants awarded were “Small-Scale Initiative Grants,” ranging from $500 to $2,000 and designed to help communities purchase “modest, but critical recycling materials and outreach tools,” according to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP).

“These new funds give communities the opportunity to make critical investments in their recycling programs, capturing more materials that can be reused, and helping them to reduce their waste disposal costs,” says MassDEP Commissioner Martin Suuberg.