Maine announces 2022 Waste Diversion Grant winners

Reducing the volume of materials we consume by reusing items and recycling products and packaging can reduce the state’s environmental impacts and enhance sustainability, reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and cut the state’s overall costs.

The following organizations have received grant funds from the Maine DEP:

Town of Montville Transfer Station ($30,000)

Purchase a recycling transport vehicle. The Town of Montville shares a recycling agreement with the Unity Area Regional Recycling Center (UARRC). The town is located just 16 miles from the recycling center, yet it has been unable to secure cost-effective transport for its recyclables. The purchase of a 16-18 foot box truck will allow Montville’s citizens and businesses to continue to participate with UARRC and its recycling programs.

City of Portland ($9,000)

Increase food scrap collection efficiencies. The city of Portland operates a strong food scrap recycling program and wishes to expand the program’s availability to multicultural entities through the implementation of translated signage and advertisements. This equity-centered project is focused on education and outreach to increase the diversion of food scraps by ensuring all residents, regardless of language, culture, or location, are aware that they have access to free food scrap drop-off kiosks.

City of Rockland ($13,701)

Improve overall operations at compost facility. The city of Rockland plans to use its grant funds to improve overall operations of its composting operation by adding a screening plant and better signage to help direct residents to proper drop-off and receiving areas. This will help reduce confusion, improve efficiency and, ultimately, help increase the overall volume of organics diverted from landfill.

Town of Ogunquit ($7,327.50)

Develop a food scrap composting program. The town of Ogunquit will use the grant funds to develop a food scrap collection and composting program at the town’s transfer station. The project, as proposed, will scale up over time, starting with willing volunteers who will be guided with the support of the town staff and volunteers from the town’s Sustainability Committee, potentially branching out over time to additional individuals and even businesses. This approach will increase diversion over time with significantly reduced risk of failure from taking too much on at once.

Auburn School Department/Share Center ($40,000)

Food scrap composting and recycling upgrades. The school system’s Share Center, located in Lewiston, Maine, will use the grant funds to supplement the cost of obtaining a larger space which will enable the center staff to accept more reusable goods from corporations, colleges and other entities and share those items with other organizations that can use them. This project supports the top of the waste hierarchy by retaining goods for reuse and repurposing, which in turn helps save money and reduce GHG emissions and other environmental impacts related to the production of new goods from resource extraction, processing and transportation.

The department plans to seek grant proposals for the first round of waste diversion projects for 2023 in late January.

RELATED: How to submit winning grant proposals | Maine city proposes digging up landfill to transfer waste to new site

The Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has announced the recipients of the second round of Waste Diversion Grant awards for recycling and organics management projects. By increasing composting and recycling opportunities around Maine, these projects will divert waste from disposal in landfills. The state received five bids, and all will be funded, receiving a total of about $100,000. These grants are being offered by Maine DEP to help businesses, institutions and municipalities address solid waste management challenges.