Dive Brief:
- The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection announced on Wednesday more than $1.7 million in grants to fund recycling and reuse businesses. It's the second time in the past month that the state agency has issued grants to fund those priorities.
- The recent funding round largely addressed food waste. The list of 16 recipients included Black Earth Compost, Garbage to Garden, Recycleworks and Casella Waste Systems.
- Last month, the agency awarded an additional 13 grants to businesses through its Waste Reduction Innovation Grant program. Those recipients largely focused on plastic and textile waste, as well as other hard-to-recover materials.
Dive Insight:
Massachusetts has adopted various policies in recent years to meet a goal of reducing waste disposal volumes 30% by 2030 versus a 2018 baseline. The state was an early adopter of food waste diversion policies and also banned the disposal of textiles and mattresses in 2022.
Officials had earlier previewed increased spending through grant programs at a gathering in March. The Mass Ready Act, which passed the state Senate but still needs House approval, would add $28.1 million in funding for solid waste-related issues, including additional grant funding. The legislature has also begun exploring various extended producer responsibility policies.
The latest grant announcements come as a growing number of Massachusetts municipalities are setting up food waste and recycling programs and the state considers a possible residential organics diversion mandate. In statements, officials highlighted the role businesses in the state play in promoting sustainable materials management.
“This is a critical investment in Massachusetts’ circular economy,” MassDEP Commissioner Bonnie Heiple said in a statement Wednesday. “With limited landfill capacity across Massachusetts, this funding helps reduce the need for new landfills while building the sustainable infrastructure we need to extend the life of materials and support a more resilient future.”
Since 2016, the Recycling and Reuse Business Development grants have supported a range of activities. About half the funds awarded to this year's recipient went to recycling collection, while the rest went to new or expanded reuse, recycling or compost operations.
On the collection side, recipients include Cape Ann Food Pantry to collect surplus food for donation and Garbage to Garden to increase food waste collection. On the food waste processing side, Black Earth Compost is set to receive up to $144,215 to enhance its compost infrastructure and Tommy's Compost Service is set to receive up to $145,500 to purchase food waste processing equipment.
Outside of food waste, Casella is set to receive up to $449,721 to purchase bulk rigid plastics processing equipment and HandUp US is set to receive funds to purchase a horizontal foam baler to process mattress toppers.
The Waste Reduction Innovation Grant program was launched in 2025 to focus on "new innovative processes to advance material recovery," per MassDEP's solid waste management plan. The grantees awarded this year are expected to handle a range of materials, including spent grain from brewers and distillers, seafood shell waste and post-consumer lab plastics.
