BOSTON — The Healey-Driscoll Administration today announced more than $4 million in Sustainable Materials Recovery Program grants to 280 municipalities and regional collaboratives to help communities maximize recycling, composting and waste reduction.

 

"These grants support our communities, expand recycling and composting efforts, and target new materials to remove from the waste stream," said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper. "We are committed to ensuring our cities and towns have the resources they need to become more sustainable and achieve their goals of reducing disposal costs and the amount of waste in our landfills."

 

In Berkshire County:

 

Recycling Dividends Program (Total: $87,060.00)

• Adams: $6,000.00

• Becket: $3,360.00

• Dalton: $6,000.00

• Egremont: $3,360.00

• Great Barrington: $420.00

• Hancock: $2,100.00

• Hinsdale: $3,780.00

• Lee: $2,520.00

• New Marlborough: $1,680.00

• Otis: $1,680.00

• Peru: $3,360.00

• Pittsfield: $21,000.00

• Plainfield: $7,800.00

• Richmond: $1,260.00

• Sandisfield: $840.00

• Savoy: $3,780.00

• Sheffield: $3,780.00

• Stockbridge: $1,260.00

• Washington: $420.00

• Williamstown: $7,200.00

• Windsor: $6,600.00

Reuse Swap Shop (Total: $18,000.00)

• Becket: $6,000.00

• Cheshire: $6,000.00

• Otis: $6,000.00

Food Waste Collection Systems - Drop-off (Total: $6,000.00)

• Great Barrington: $3,000.00

• New Marlborough: $3,000.00

Cardboard Compactor (Total: $10,000.00)

• Washington: $10,000.00

Source-separated Glass Container (Total: $8,000.00)

• Great Barrington: $8,000.00

Regional Small-Scale Initiatives (Total: $1,500.00)

• Northern Berkshire Solid Waste Management District (NBSWMD): $1,500.00

 

MassDEP's Sustainable Materials Recovery Program (SMRP) provides funding for recycling, composting, reuse, and source reduction activities that decrease the amount of waste disposed of in landfills and incinerators. In addition to minimizing solid waste, SMRP projects boost resiliency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by capturing the embodied energy in everyday products and packaging materials for conversion into new products.

 

More than $60 million has been awarded through SMRP since 2010. This year, awards are being granted through six programs that operate under the SMRP umbrella: the Recycling Dividends Program, Regional Small-scale Initiatives, Drop-off Recycling Equipment, Food Waste Collection Carts, Pay-As-You-Throw, and Waste Reduction projects.

 

The Recycling Dividends Program supports municipal policies and programs proven to maximize materials reuse and recycling, as well as waste reduction. This year, 271 communities will receive awards totaling nearly $2.95 million. 

 

Additional grant funds are being awarded to support start-up incentives for Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT) waste reduction programs, wheeled carts for the curbside collection of residential food waste, recycling equipment for targeted materials at a municipal recycling drop-off or transfer station ("facility"), and regional small-scale initiatives to support regional entities working with multiple municipalities.