The grant program, administered by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP), will expand the recycling operations and increase the amount and quality of recycling now occurring at Ag-Grid Energy, LLC; Charles George Fitchburg; Martin’s Farm Compost; ReEnergy Roxbury, LLC; United Material Management of Millbury, LLC; and Waste Management Boston CORe.
The RBDG program targets difficult-to-recycle materials, including food with contaminants such as plastic, rubber gloves, and cutlery; wood; and bulky, rigid plastics. This round of grants will fund projects that promote materials recovery and will build the state’s infrastructure to better manage these materials. As a condition of receiving funding, grant recipients commit to meeting tonnage goals over a two-year period.
Under the Solid Waste Master Plan, Massachusetts has a goal to reduce trash by 2 million tons annually by 2020. They are investing in companies that will turn the recyclable materials into new products, compost or a renewable energy source through the anaerobic digestion process.
The grant recipients are:
Company: Ag-Grid Energy, LLC Community: Granville, MA Amount Awarded: Up to $250,000
Project Description: Ag-Grid Energy, LLC is forming Rockwood Ag-Grid Organics, LLC, together with Rockwood Farm in Granville. Located at 355 Granby Road, this farm will be the site of an anaerobic digestion facility that will co-digest manure from the farm’s dairy cows and food materials from off-site sources. Ag-Grid Energy, LLC is requesting funds to purchase a de-packaging unit that will enable the facility to accept food contaminated with other materials and separate those materials to produce a high quality feedstock for the anaerobic digestion facility. Initially, the facility will be able to accept about 20,000 tons of food material annually, with the potential to increase to 60,000 tons per year over time.
Company: Charles George Fitchburg Community: Fitchburg, MA Amount Awarded: Up to $200,000
Project Description: Located at 15 Cobbler Drive in Fitchburg, Charles George Fitchburg is an existing processing facility that accepts construction and demolition materials. Charles George is seeking funds to purchase a five-bin sorting line that will increase the facility’s ability to separate wood, bulky rigid plastics, and other recyclables. The requested equipment would enable the facility to divert as much as 26,000 tons of additional materials for recycling annually, including about 10,500 tons of wood and about 600 tons of bulky rigid plastics.
Company: Martin’s Farm Compost Community: Greenfield, MA Amount Awarded: Up to $146,000
Project Description: Located at 341 Plain Road in Greenfield, Martin’s Farm Compost is a family-owned compost operation. Martin’s Farm is seeking funds to purchase a screener that will remove small pieces of plastic, metal, glass and other inorganics from compost. This will improve the quality and increase the value of their compost products and allow Martin’s Farm to process as much as 9,000 tons of food material annually.
To read the full story, visit http://wwlp.com/2018/02/05/state-providing-monetary-support-to-recycling-business-expansion/.