Now Accepting Applications
This program provides grants to Massachusetts businesses and non-profit organizations to expand recycling, reuse, and composting infrastructure in Massachusetts.
- This page, Apply for a Recycling & Reuse Business Development Grant, is offered by
- Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection
Apply for a Recycling & Reuse Business Development Grant
Contacts
Recycling Business Development Grant Questions?
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The Details
About this program
A list of awarded Recycling and Reuse Business Development Grants is available to view.
The current application round includes grants for both processing and collection of specified target materials. An entity can apply for both collection and processing, but MassDEP will only award one grant per applicant.
| Key information | Processing of target materials | Collection of target materials |
|---|---|---|
| Award amount | $50,000 to $500,000 (max) | $25,000 to $100,000 (max) |
| Required minimum match by applicant | 25% of the requested amount | 50% of the requested amount |
| Eligible materials (summary descriptions) | (a) Plastic films and wraps, (b) Reusable materials, (c) Household hazardous waste, (d) Textiles for recycling, (e) Food materials, (f) Solar panels, (g) Bulk rigid plastics | (a) Surplus food for donation, (b) Food waste |
| Eligible grant funded costs | Equipment or other capital costs for (1) Processing activities, | (1) Purchase of a truck, (2) Purchase of collection containers to expand collection routes and services, and (3) Purchase of equipment or software to increase route efficiency |
| Project duration | 30 months maximum from contract start date | 12 months maximum from contract start date |
This chart provides summary information. Please refer to the grant guidance documents for additional details.
How to apply
Next steps
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Eligible Applicants
To apply, you must:
- Be a company or corporation (for-profit or non-profit) properly licensed to do business in the Commonwealth at the time of contracting.
- Manage one of the eligible materials.
- Have no active unresolved MassDEP higher level enforcement actions against them.
- Provide a minimum required financial match (25% for processing, 50% for collection).
All grants made under the RBDG program should provide a measurable economic benefit to Massachusetts.
Eligible Projects
Please see the eligible materials and eligible grant funded costs in the above table, in the Review the Guidance step, and the case studies below.
Open PDF file, 165.51 KB, Helpsy Case Study (English, PDF 165.51 KB)Open PDF file, 315.53 KB, Rockwood Ag-Grid Case Study (English, PDF 315.53 KB)Open PDF file, 164.7 KB, HandUp Case Study (English, PDF 164.7 KB)Open PDF file, 428.7 KB, Tommy's Compost Case Study (English, PDF 428.7 KB)Review the Guidance
To learn more about grant eligibility and application requirements, please read the documents below.
Complete & Submit Your Application
MassDEP will be accepting applications online only. Follow the links below to apply.
MassDEP is currently accepting grant applications. Key dates are as follows:
- February 6, 2026 – deadline to submit questions. Questions must be submitted via email to sowayib.sikder@mass.gov
- February 20, 2026 – MassDEP will post responses to questions on this webpage.
- April 3, 2026 – Application deadline.
MassDEP Reviews All Applications
MassDEP will evaluate 10 evaluation criteria:
- Project description and operation;
- Growth/market impact;
- Timeline;
- Qualifications;
- Feasibility;
- Sourcing;
- Markets;
- Investment Justification/Sustainability;
- Budget/financial leverage; and
- Disadvantaged communities investment.
MassDEP may require a site visit and/or interview with top-ranked applicants as part of its evaluation.
Applications submitted after the deadline will not be considered. Applications cannot be revised after submission.
RBDG contracts will be limited to 12 months for collection grants and 30 months for processing grants.
Sign a Grant Agreement with MassDEP
If your organization is selected to receive a MassDEP Recycling Business Development Grant, it will need to sign a contract that stipulates, among other things:
- MassDEP staff reserves the right to visit your Massachusetts location(s) during the grant period.
- Purchases of equipment prior to MassDEP confirming execution of a grant contract are not eligible for this grant program and will not be reimbursed.
- For collection grants, payments will be made on a reimbursement basis, in a single payment to be made after you have documented the purchase and delivery of equipment.
- For processing grants, payments will be reimbursed on completion of 3 tasks (Task 1 for equipment purchase, Task 2 for performance-based payment and Task 3 for final reporting).
- You will be required to submit a summary report on the use of this equipment to MassDEP within one year of its purchase and delivery.
If selected for award, other specific terms and conditions will be outlined in the grant agreement.
Contact
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