The Healey-Driscoll Administration recently awarded $950,000 in Recycling Business Development Grants (RBDG) to six recycling companies in the state. The RBDG program helps businesses tackle difficult-to-recycle materials, such as contaminated food materials, construction and demolition wood, and bulky rigid plastics. The funds will help these businesses expand their operations and capacity to process recyclable materials which supports Massachusetts’ goal of reducing trash by more than two million tons annually. Here are the grant recipients:

• 887 Woburn, LLC will receive construction and demolition materials at their Wilmington facility and separate wood, metal, cardboard, and aggregates for recycling. The RBDG grant funds will allow them to purchase picking-and-sorting equipment for removing waste ban items from the mixed waste stream and separate other recyclable materials for recycling or diversion purposes.
• Aero Aggregates of Massachusetts is planning to develop a container glass processing facility in Southbridge. The grant funds will be used to purchase front-end glass-cleaning and processing equipment that will allow them to convert container glass into a construction material called Ultra-Lightweight Foamed Glass Aggregate (UL-FGA).
• HandUp US, LLC will take mattresses for dismantling and recovering scrap metal at their New Bedford facility. The grant funds will be used to purchase equipment, including a baler and pocket coil de-constructor that will allow HandUp to reclaim metal from mattresses and box springs.
• HELPSY will take textiles for sorting at their Woburn facility. After sorting the textiles, HELPSY will separate out the high-quality items for resale. Lesser-quality textiles and non-clothing material will be shipped to recycling wholesale customers or thrift stores. The grant funds will be used to purchase equipment that will enable HELPSY to process a larger volume of textiles by increasing the processing capacity.
• Wachusett Earthday, Inc. will take in furniture for repurposing and reuse at their West Boylston facility. The furniture will be dismantled and repurposed to facilitate further use. The grant funds will be used for site preparation and shipping containers to increase the volume of household and small office furniture reuse.
• Windward Trading Group, Ltd. will accept textiles for baling at their Brockton facility and proceed to sell the textiles worldwide. The grant funds will be used to replace old equipment and purchase new equipment that will allow them to process a larger volume of textiles.

MassDEP Acting Commissioner Gary Moran stated, “Through our Solid Waste Master Plan, Massachusetts has a goal to reduce our trash disposal by 30 percent by 2030. Building and expanding our in-state reuse and recycling outlets for these materials helps us to capture both the environmental and economic benefits of reuse and recycling.”

RecyclingWorks in Massachusetts provides recycling and food recovery assistance to businesses and institutions. Many of the service providers listed above are included in the RecyclingWorks Find-A-Recycler tool, which allows users to search for local haulers and recycling businesses across Massachusetts. To speak to a recycling and food recovery expert, call our hotline: (888) 254-5525 or email us at info@recyclingworksma.com.