Rep. and House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Brian S. Dempsey, of Haverhill.
Haverhill’s recycling and waste reduction program has been awarded $32,000 in state grants “to sustain their existing recycling program or to facilitate new, low-cost initiatives.”
The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP), through its Sustainable Materials Recovery Program (SMRP), awarded the grant to the city Wednesday to reinvest or expand its efforts in “recycling, composting and reuse of solid waste and household hazardous materials to increase diversion from disposal,” according to state Rep. Brian S. Dempsey of Haverhill, House Ways and Means Committee chairman. Among the funding, a $30,000 SMRP “Recycling Dividends Program” grant would be used to reinvest in recycling “for things such as 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,” a statement reads. The remaining $2,000, a “Small Scale Initiative” grant, is intended to help “purchase modest, but critical recycling materials and outreach tools needed to sustain their existing recycling program or to facilitate new, low-cost initiatives.”
“This funding will help support the city of Haverhill in promoting and strengthen its recycling program and maximizing its overall waste reduction,” Dempsey said. “By increasing recycling, reusing and reducing of our waste, we are not only working to preserve our environment but we can also help bring down the cost of our local waste disposal.”
SMRP was created under the Green Communities Act of 2008, co-authored by Dempsey while serving as chairman of the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy. The Act requires a portion of the proceeds from the sale of Waste Energy Certificates (WECs) be directed to recycling programs approved by MassDEP.
Dempsey was joined by Sen. Kathleen A. O’Connor Ives of Newburyport and Reps. Linda Dean Campbell and Diana DiZoglio, both of Methuen, in making the announcement.
“Recycling is an important strategy that not only helps take pressure off of landfills, but also reduces municipal solid waste costs,” O’Connor Ives said. “This state award of funding will help Haverhill with new equipment, and start new recycling initiatives and programs in public buildings in the city.”
“This grant funding will go a long way towards building on Haverhill’s continued efforts to protect our natural resources, save money, and become a cleaner and more sustainable community,” Campbell said.
SMRP offers funding to municipalities for recycling, composting and reuse of solid waste and household hazardous materials to increase diversion from disposal. Grants are available for recycling and composting equipment; mattress recycling; Pay-As-You-Throw programs; waste reduction enforcement; school recycling; and organics capacity development projects. SMRP has invested more than $20 million in recycling programs since 2010.
“Recycling Dividends Program”
A “dividend” is money paid BACK to shareholders…in this case taxpayers. But not to these looney liberals….their idea of a dividend is to use the recycling cost savings for more spending.
Although recycling is mandatory, it’s odd that on recycling days, many homes don’t have any extra bins out for cans and cardboard. What happened to fining people who don’t comply?
Its simply not enforced. I think with the new tote system for trash, we should have switched to weekly recycling.