MassDEP details 2024 grant wins, expands microgrant minimums and readies 2025 cycles

John Silver, who leads MassDEP’s commercial waste reduction outreach, opened the Solid Waste Advisory Committee’s winter meeting with a series of funding updates and timelines for applicants.

Janice Pare of MassDEP’s municipal waste reduction branch said the agency retooled its Reduce, Reuse, Repair microgrant in 2024 by instituting a deadline and raising the maximum award. "We awarded 23 grants, which is more than we had ever in 1 single year previously," Pare said, noting MassDEP budgeted $125,000 but ultimately awarded $140,000. She described projects awarded in 2024 — from a ramp‑reuse program funded at $9,200 to a Lawrence General Hospital reusable foodware pilot awarded $10,000 — and said the 2025 microgrant will have a new minimum award of $3,000. Pare said the application opens April 15, an information session will be held April 1, and the submission deadline is May 15.

Cathy Mears, branch chief for municipal waste reduction, summarized the Sustainable Materials Recovery Program. She said the 2024 awards exceeded $4 million and reached 285 municipalities and regional groups. "We give out a little over $3,000,000 last year for [the Recycling Dividends] component," Mears said, and highlighted large multi‑community grants for a Newton/Product Stewardship Institute study, a Winchester anaerobic digester in the organics category, and a joint Lawrence–Methuen permanent household hazardous waste facility. Mears said the SMRP application will open on April 1 and the deadline is June 2, 2025, and reminded municipalities they must complete the annual recycling and solid waste survey and submit a 2024 spending report (when applicable) as prerequisites.

On the commercial side, Claudine Elian, commercial waste reduction branch chief, briefed the committee on the Recycling and Reuse Business Development Grant (RBDG). Since its 2016 inception, MassDEP "has completed its eighth round solicitation for projects under this RBDG program and is awarded 74 grants totaling more than $8,500,000," Elian said. She noted the latest round distributed $1,870,000 to 21 businesses and nonprofits and described award ranges and required applicant matches (collection grants $25,000–$100,000 with a 25% match; processing grants $50,000–$400,000 with a 50% match).

Why it matters: these grant programs provide capital and operating support for municipal reuse/recycling infrastructure, emerging business models and pilot projects that MassDEP staff say are central to meeting the Commonwealth’s Solid Waste Master Plan goals. MassDEP presenters emphasized application dates, reporting prerequisites for prior grantees and upcoming webinars to help applicants prepare.

Next steps: MassDEP staff said they will post slide decks and the meeting recording to the Solid Waste Advisory Committee webpage, share contact lists for work groups and subcommittees, and circulate application links and Q&A postings as the cycles open.