Funding to Help Businesses Better Manage Packaged Food Material
BOSTON - The state awarded $500,000 in grants to three companies under the Commonwealth's Recycling Business Development Grant (RBDG) program that will enable them to better process and manage packaged food material. The grant program, administered by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP), will enable companies in Mansfield, North Grafton and Westborough to expand their recycling operations and increase the amount and quality of recycling now occurring across the Commonwealth.
The RBDG program, which targets difficult-to-recycle materials, including glass, mattresses and packaged food, is funded through the sale of waste-to-energy credits. This round of grants funded projects that promote the recovery of packaged food with processes that maximize the use of both the packaging and the food material. As a condition of receiving funding, grant recipients commit to meeting tonnage goals over a two-year period.
The grant recipients include:
CRMC Bioenergy, LLC – Up to $200,000
CRMC Bioenergy, LLC of Mansfield, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CommonWealth Resource Management Corporation (CMRC), owns and operates the existing CRMC Bioenergy Facility at the Crapo Hill Sanitary Landfill in Dartmouth. CRMC is seeking funding to add the ability to source and accept bulk materials in the quantities required to support the planned expansion of their facility, an operating pilot-scale anaerobic digestion project. The grant will be used, in part, to purchase de-packaging equipment that will enable the facility to accept and process bulk organics that are packaged or have some level of contamination into a pump-able, slurried form for anaerobic digestion.
EL Harvey and Sons, Inc. – Up to $100,000
EL Harvey and Sons, Inc. of Westborough is a family-owned and -operated waste and recycling corporation. EL Harvey is seeking funding to purchase a tank to be used with de-packaging equipment. The grant will be used, in part, to purchase a vertical silo tank to be used with de-packaging equipment that will store processed organics in slurry form, which will feed anaerobic digestion. This comprehensive process will divert an estimated 10,000 tons per year of organics that is currently landfilled or incinerated.
Troiano Trucking, Inc. – Up to $200,000
Troiano Trucking Inc. of North Grafton has a history of recycling food. Troiano currently takes in about 25 tons of wasted food per day and transfers it to animal feed operations. Troiano is seeking grant funding to expand their business from trucking to manufacturing. The grant will be used, in part, to fund a Scott Turbo Separator that will enable the facility to accept and process bulk organics that are packaged or have some level of contamination and convert it into high-quality animal feed.
“This grant funding is critical to supporting new opportunities for sustainability in our Commonwealth,” said State Senator Michael O. Moore (D-Millbury). “As a former Environmental Police Officer, I recognize the importance of actively promoting environmental protection. I commend Troiano Trucking in North Grafton on receiving this grant and I am confident that this funding will assist with their sustainable recycling efforts.”
MassDEP is responsible for ensuring clean air and water, safe management and recycling of solid and hazardous wastes, timely cleanup of hazardous waste sites and spills and the preservation of wetlands and coastal resources.
Find more information on the RBDG program here.