The Town of Arlington has been awarded $38,500 from the Sustainable Materials Recovery Program grant, which aims  to help maximize recycling, composting and waste-reduction programs in the town.

And the legislative delegation representing the town – Sen. Cindy Friedman, Rep. Sean Garballey and Rep. Dave Rogers, all Democrats – has praised it.

Under the waste program, which was created by the Green Communities Act and is administered by the state Department of Environmental Protection, 219 communities qualified for the “Recycling Dividends Program” and will receive payments ranging from $2,100 to $97,500 for a total of $2.93 million statewide.

“I am thrilled that our community has been awarded this grant to help enhance our recycling, composting and waste reduction programs,” said Friedman said in a recent news release. “Arlington will have the opportunity to continue the pressing work of protecting our community through sustainable programming.”

Rogers added: “Increasing our recycling, composting and waste reduction programs is essential to our efforts to protect our environment and address climate issues. I am pleased this grant contributes to our recent environmental initiatives intended to transform the Town of Arlington into a ‘zero waste’ community.”

Garballey said in the release: "This grant will help Arlington continue and expand our recycling efforts and make us a more sustainable community. I am very pleased with the partnership that exists between my colleagues in the legislature and the Department of Environmental Protection. This program is positive for Arlington and the rest of the Commonwealth."

The dividends program recognizes communities that have implemented policies and programs proven to maximize materials reuse and recycling, as well as waste reduction. Communities that earn such payments must reinvest the funds in their recycling programs to support new recycling bins or carts, public education and outreach campaigns, collection of hard-to-recycle items, and the establishment of recycling programs in schools, municipal buildings and other public spaces.

According to the MassDEP, the number of municipalities that qualified for these grants increased 11 percent over last year and the amount awarded increased by more than 14 percent. These grants will provide the necessary funding for communities to tailor individual programs to the needs of their residents and will deliver many positive environmental benefits for cities and towns across the Commonwealth.

To view a full list of the 262 grant awards, click here >> 

This news announcement was published Thursday, Oct. 24, 2019.