China receives DEP second round of grants for recycling and organics management initiatives

The Maine Department of Environmental Protection recently announced the second round of grant award recipients for recycling and organics management projects. These projects are targeted to divert waste from disposal by expanding composting and recycling opportunities across Maine. DEP received 14 proposals requesting $347,486 and will award $212,790 to fund 13 of these projects. Maine DEP is providing these grants to help businesses, institutions and municipalities address solid waste management challenges.

Reducing the amount of materials consumers buy and use, reusing items, and recycling products and packaging are all actions that significantly reduce our environmental impacts and help to enhance sustainability, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and cut costs.

Among other communities, China was awarded $10,500 for recycling and composting. China proposes to establish a radio frequency identification (RFID) system to gather data on the use of the various components of waste management services (swap shop, recycling stations, disposal) by town of origin. This data will be used to assess expansion of recycling operations to serve residents of neighboring towns, to design operational efficiencies, and to improve education and outreach on recycling.