Press Release  Healey-Driscoll Administration Awards $1.1 Million to Advance Recycling and Materials Reuse

BOSTON — To celebrate Earth Week 2023, the Healey-Driscoll Administration today announced that $1.1 million in grants have been awarded to 19 Massachusetts organizations as part of the Commonwealth’s Recycling and Reuse Business Development Grant (RBDG) program. The grants, announced during a tour of the UTEC mattress recycling facility in Lawrence today, are focused on expanding the collection of mattresses, textiles, and food material. 

“Our waste reduction work is another great example of how investments in environmental protection directly contribute to the economic development of our state,” said Governor Maura Healey. “As we work to reduce waste from mattresses, textiles, and food, Massachusetts’ entrepreneurs are stepping up with innovative businesses to power this shift. Our administration is proud to support these efforts.”

“These grants will make sure that the hard work being done by our cities and towns to build recycling programs is met by an industry ready to process it and keep it out of our waste stream,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “These grants will also help provide equipment for collection of recently banned materials like mattresses, making it more convenient for residents to recycle instead of throw out their old mattresses.”

In November of 2022, MassDEP finalized new waste disposal regulations which ban the disposal of mattresses and textiles and lower the threshold for the state’s existing commercial food waste disposal ban from 1 ton to a half-ton per week. These materials are heavy and bulky and compose a large portion of our overall waste. Rather than taking up space in a landfill, our food waste can be turned into compost, mattress components can be separated and turned into new products, and textiles can be made into recycled clothing, bedding, or towels.

The grant program, administered by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP), will expand the collection infrastructure for these materials, helping to ensure more convenient and cost-effective collection options for both residents and businesses. This grant round targets investment in trucks, roll-off containers, and bins for food materials, mattresses, and textiles. This will continue to help cities and towns as they establish or expand their recycling programs for these items.

“We have very limited space for trash left in the state, so our administration is working collaboratively with communities and businesses to promote recycling,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper. “Increasing our reuse and recycling of materials saves energy, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and alleviates pressure on our limited disposal capacity. These grants will help us to advance our progress in these areas while also fostering business growth and job growth in Massachusetts.”

“It was great to meet the young people driving UTEC’s innovative mattress recycling program today,” said MassDEP Commissioner Bonnie Heiple. “Through our Solid Waste Master Plan, Massachusetts has a goal to reduce our trash disposal by 30 percent by 2030 and 90 percent by 2050. We need to support facilities like UTEC to meet those ambitious goals while also promoting reuse and creating jobs.”

The grant recipients are

Against the Grain New England (Medford) – $59,000
The grant will be used to purchase a food waste collection truck.

Agri-Cycle Energy, LLC (Lowell) – $75,000
The grant will be used to purchase a new Mack chassis roll-off truck for collecting food waste.

Black Earth Compost, LLC (Manchester) – $71,000
The grant will be used to purchase a truck, dump body and 360 totes to enhance food waste collection for composting.

Bay State Textiles, Inc. (Kingston) – $26,570
The grand will be used to purchase bins and trailers to collect textiles.

Casella Waste Systems, Inc., dba Willimantic Waste Paper Co. (Charlestown) – $60,000
The grant will be used to purchase six trailers to transfer mattresses for recycling.

Classic Cleanouts, Inc. (Malden) – $50,000
The grant will be used to purchase a new box truck for mattress collection.

CMRK, Inc. (Northborough) – $51,100
The grant will be used to purchase two roll-off containers and 44 collection bins for textile collection.

DBI Waste Systems, Inc. (Everett) – $59,215
The grant will be used to purchase a new truck with lift gate and storage container for mattress collection.

Food Link, Inc. (Arlington) – $43,000
The grant will be used to purchase software to enhance collection of food for donation.

HandUp US, LLC (New Bedford) – $32,500
The grant will be used to purchase a used box truck for mattress collection.

Lovin' Spoonfuls, Inc. (Newton) – $70,250
The grant will be used to purchase a new truck for collecting surplus food for donation.

Planet Aid, Inc. (Milford) – $37,995
The grand will be used to purchase bins and large containers to collect textiles.

Raw Material Recovery Corp. (Gardner) – $100,000
The grant will be used to purchase a new truck equipped with a mattress container hoisting mechanism.

Recycle That Acquisition, LLC dba Helpsy (Woburn) – $65,627
The grand will be used to purchase one truck and 20 container bins to collect textiles.   

Recycleworks, Inc. (Braintree) – $50,000
The grant will be used to purchase a new truck chassis and collection body for food waste collection.

Second Chance Composting, LLC (Adams) – $50,000
The grant will be used to purchase a new pick-up truck for food waste collection.

Smart Feed Tech, Inc. dba Bright Feeds (Fitchburg) – $75,000
The grant will be used to purchase a tractor and dump trailer to collect food waste for animal feed diversion.

Tommy's Compost Service (Hinsdale) – $55,000
The grant will be used to purchase a new pick-up truck for food waste collection.

Windward Trading Group, Ltd (Brockton) – $47,840
The grant will be used to purchase 60 bins to collect textiles.

“Food waste is not only a missed opportunity to address hunger, but it's also a major source of emissions of methane – a powerful, planet-warming greenhouse gas,” said Senate Majority Leader Cynthia Creem (D-Newton). “I'm excited that Lovin' Spoonfuls will use this grant to collect and distribute nutritious food that would otherwise go to waste. It's a meaningful way to address food insecurity and climate change at the same time.”

“As Massachusetts moves to a greener more sustainable future, I am glad to see local partners taking important steps to move communities forward,” said State Senator Anne Gobi (D-Spencer). “Mattress removal has long been a difficulty, resulting in dumping and environmentally unsound practices. I thank Raw Material Recovery Corp., for their work and congratulate them on this $100,000 grant award.”

“The fact that UTEC’s mattress recycling business has been able to expand so quickly in such a short time is something we’re extremely proud of, particularly knowing the impact this has on the environment as well as our young adults who are gaining valuable workforce development skills,” said Gregg Croteau, CEO of UTEC. “We are thankful for the support of MassDEP and our local representatives, who recognize the value that social enterprises bring to our communities and are making the investments needed to make this a sustainable business model for nonprofits like UTEC.”

MassDEP’s mission is to protect and enhance the Commonwealth’s natural resources – air, water and land – to provide for the health, safety and welfare of all people, and to ensure a clean and safe environment for future generations. In carrying out this mission, MassDEP commits to address and advance environmental justice and equity for all people of the Commonwealth; to provide meaningful, inclusive opportunities for people to participate in agency decisions that affect their lives; and to ensure a diverse workforce that reflects the communities we serve.

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