The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection has awarded $133,150 in Reduce, Reuse, Repair microgrants to 18 organizations, municipalities, nonprofits and academic institutions, the agency said in a Nov. 6 announcement.
The grants pay for equipment and tools, tracking software and skills training for projects that keep products out of the trash through donation, sharing, rescue, reuse and repair. MassDEP says about 75 percent of the funding supports projects in disadvantaged communities.
Awards range from $3,200 for Lee Public Schools to $10,000. Five recipients received the $10,000 maximum: Braintree Public Schools, Mesivta of Greater Boston's Boston Kitchen Initiative, Northeastern University, Tunnel City Coffee in North Adams and YouthBuild Boston. Six of the 18 recipients are in Boston, and their awards total $53,950.
Other recipients include Fresh Start Furniture Bank in Hudson ($7,500), Nantucket Salvage ($5,000), the town of Ashland ($8,500), Zoo New England ($9,000) and the University of Massachusetts Lowell Office of Sustainability ($5,000). Two recipients are in Great Barrington: Families Like Ours ($5,000) and The Guthrie Center ($6,500). Franklin County Technical School in Turners Falls received $5,000, Habitat for Humanity North Central Massachusetts in Acton $4,500, and Family Table Collaborative in South Yarmouth $9,000.
MassDEP Commissioner Bonnie Heiple said the grants cover work such as rescuing surplus food for people in need and teaching youth to process salvaged wood.
The release lists each recipient and amount but does not describe individual projects or say how many groups applied. MassDEP says information on past awardees is on the program's webpage.
