The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is pleased to announce the availability of solid waste infrastructure grant funding for Connecticut municipalities and regions through the Materials Management Infrastructure (MMI) Grant program.
Donor Name: Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
State: Connecticut
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 12/06/2024
Size of the Grant: More than $1 million
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
DEEP invites applications seeking grant funds to help municipalities and regional waste authorities develop and construct solid waste management infrastructure. Preference will be given to proposals that have already achieved full site control and any necessary local permitting needed. Preference will also be given to projects with the potential for the largest volume of waste reduction and/or diversion in a short timeframe while ensuring consistency with the State of Connecticut’s Comprehensive Materials Management Strategy (CMMS) and Connecticut’s statutorily established integrated hierarchy of waste management methodologies.
In response to these challenges, DEEP created and manages the Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) Grant Program. Over the course of the last two years, the SMM Grant Program has funded waste management pilot programs in 15 municipalities, with a focus on separation of food scraps from the MSW waste stream. The waste diversion modalities tested through these pilot programs included resident drop-off of separated food scraps at municipal transfer stations, co-collection of source-separated food scraps and MSW, and separate dedicated waste collection routes for source-separated food scraps. These pilot programs provided a wealth of data on waste diversion initiatives across a diverse subset of Connecticut’s municipalities, and demonstrated that these various approaches are effective in reducing costs and environmental impacts associated with MSW disposal.
DEEP is seeking to fund innovative and impactful solid waste management infrastructure projects at the municipal and/or regional level that will support the CMMS and divert materials from the waste stream in keeping with the State’s waste management goals and established integrated hierarchy of waste management methodologies. The Materials Management Infrastructure (MMI) Grant program seeks to build upon the successes of the SMM Grant Program and advance facility and infrastructure projects that will assist municipalities and regions, as well as the State as a whole, in reducing MSW disposal costs and increasing in-state self-sufficiency in waste management.
Funding Information
The Public Act authorized $15 million in total.
Eligible Proposals
Eligible proposals will support waste reduction and/or diversion and may include, but not be limited to, separation, sorting, and disposal infrastructure; and composting/anaerobic digestion infrastructure, with the goal of improving diversion of municipal solid waste to recycling and regaining self-sufficiency in managing MSW disposal within Connecticut’s borders. Highlyrated eligible proposals will include infrastructure components that support adoption of UnitBased Pricing (UBP) programs and/or food scrap collection programs that contribute to reducing the volume of MSW requiring disposal and increasing diversion of food scraps. Some examples of such components include, but are not limited to:
- Sorting, de-bagging or other projects related to co-collection of bagged food scraps and bagged MSW;
- De-packaging projects related to composting of food scraps;
- In-vessel composting equipment for multi-family housing, congregate housing, and schools and other institution;
- Pilot approaches to bear-proof collection systems for food scraps;
- Aerated static pile and other composting system infrastructure supporting food scrap diversion and recycling.
- Purchase of real property for the hosting of new and/or expanded waste management infrastructure.
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for MMI Grant funding, an Applicant must be a Connecticut municipality, a group of Connecticut municipalities, or a Connecticut regional entity (council of government, regional planning agency, resource recovery authority, recycling operating committee, etc.). All Applicants are encouraged, but not required, to join the Connecticut Coalition for Sustainable Materials Management (CCSMM), which makes available information, resources, technical assistance and networking for municipal members. Applicants are also encouraged, but not required, to participate in Sustainable CT to take advantage of additional sustainable materials management support, resources, and funding. Environmental compliance history may impact eligibility, and in considering this factor DEEP may apply the standards and process set out in CGS Section 22a-6m, with other applicable environmental regulations or statutes.
For more information, visit DEEP.
