The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) has posted a grant application to support the collection and processing of specified target materials through the Recycling and Reuse Business Development Grant (RBDG) Program. This grant program is focused on expanding the infrastructure for collection, reuse, recycling, and other defined processing for specified target materials. These grants are intended to help foster sustainable markets for targeted materials and products, adding value to municipal and business recycling and reuse efforts.  

The current application round offers awards for selected candidates 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. See below for details on grant awards and requirements for both processing and collection. 

The minimum grant award for processing of target materials is $50,000 and the maximum grant award per applicant is $400,000, with a minimum financial match of 25% required. The processing project’s duration must be no longer than 30 months. 

Eligible materials for processing grant awards are: 

• Container glass, 
• Bulky reusable materials, 
• Construction & Demolition Materials, 
• Textiles, 
• Food Materials, 
• Mattresses 

Eligible grant-funded processing activities include equipment or other capital costs for: 

(1) Processing activities, 
(2) Manufacturing activities, 
(3) Reuse activities 

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The minimum grant award for collection of target materials is $25,000 and the maximum grant award per applicant is $100,000, with a minimum financial match of 50% required. The collection project’s duration must be no longer than 12 months. 

Eligible materials for collection grant awards are:  

• Surplus food for donation, 
• Food waste, 
• Mattresses, 
• Textiles 

Eligible grant-funded collection activities include:  

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 

Again, an entity can apply to the Recycling & Reuse Business Development Grant for both collection and processing, but MassDEP will only award one grant per applicant. Applications for the 2024 round of awards are due March 29, 2024, 11:59 pm EST. 

Visit the MassDEP RBDG webpage for more information about eligibility and material requirements, and a link to the application.