One hundred and seven communities and groups in Massachusetts were awarded recycling and waste reduction grants totaling $1.4 million. Funds were awarded for a variety of activities, including:
- Pay-as-you-throw start up costs: Falmouth, Brewster, Hamilton, Harvard, Newton, Templeton, Wenham, and Weston
- Wheeled curbside collection carts: Marlborough, Pembroke, Easton, Boston, and Franklin
- Large containers for collecting materials at municipal transfer stations: 23 communities
- Funding for recycling coordinators: Arlington & Cape Cod
- Pilot and innovative waste reduction projects: 14 projects
- Small-scale initiatives such as outreach, compost bins, and public recycling bins: 62 communities
Thirteen communities received funding to buy large storage bins to collect bulky rigid plastics, such as laundry baskets, plastic lawn furniture, and crates- items that don't fit in a home recycling bin and usually don't get recycled. The demand for this type of plastic has increased, making it viable and cost-effective to increase recycling efforts to collect these items.
