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Public Works, Energy & Utilities Grants for retrofitting waste trucks available
Through a competitive grant program, the Department of Environmental Protection is offering funds to municipalities and private waste haulers to equip eligible diesel waste collection vehicles with pollution control devices, or retrofits, that will reduce the tailpipe pollutants.
Applications for the third round of the MassDEP Diesel Waste Collection Vehicle Retrofit Program are due by 5 p.m. on Friday, March 12.
Municipalities that own their waste and recycling trucks, and private haulers that collect residential waste at the curb on a regular basis, are eligible for the grant. Municipalities that do not own their waste trucks are encouraged to contact the private haulers they contract with and persuade them to apply for the grants.
The DEP will be holding workshops about the program on Feb. 24 in Gardner and North Adams, Feb. 25 in Wilmington, and Feb. 26 in Lakeville.
• Download retrofit workshop details (100K PDF)
Two vendors of retrofit equipment under state contract, Shuster Corporation and Southworth-Milton Inc., will install the retrofits. The DEP will pay the vendors directly for the equipment and its installation; waste vehicle owners will not be involved in the payment process. The deadline for the installation of the retrofits is Sept. 30, 2010.
To apply, each waste collection vehicle must meet all of the following criteria:
• Be registered in Massachusetts
• Pick up residential waste and/or recycling on a regular basis
• Be a rear-loading, front-loading or side-loading waste compactor or recycling truck
• Run on diesel fuel
• Operate with a 1985 to 2006 model year engine
• Be owned and in service for at least another two years
Vehicles are not eligible for this program if they service roll-on/roll-off containers and/or collect commercial waste, construction waste, or demolition waste.
Three types of retrofit technologies will be available: diesel oxidation catalysts (DOCs), diesel flow-through filters (FTFs), and diesel particulate filters (DPFs). These technologies have been installed in more than 500,000 on-road vehicles to date and function similarly to catalytic converters installed in gasoline passenger vehicles.
Why retrofit waste collection vehicles?
Some diesel waste collection vehicles are among the most heavily polluting vehicles on Massachusetts roads. Some of the pollutants these vehicles emit include:
• Diesel fine particulate matter (PM), which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has identified as likely to cause cancer
• Hydrocarbons (HC), which help form ground-level smog and are associated with increased hospital admissions for respiratory distress, including bronchitis
• Carbon monoxide (CO), which can cause headaches and nausea
The effects of these pollutants are compounded because waste collection vehicles spend a large part of their time idling or moving slowly through urban and suburban neighborhoods, exposing residents and workers to toxic pollutants.
What is a diesel retrofit and what will it do?
A diesel retrofit is an enhanced exhaust filtering system that reduces emissions from a diesel vehicle and is installed in place of or along side a vehicle’s muffler. They take only a few hours to install, but reduce pollution for the life of the vehicle. A retrofit can reduce PM, HC and CO by up to 90 percent.
For more information, see the following fact sheets developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Manufacturers of Emission Controls Association:
• DOCs: www.epa.gov/otaq/retrofit/documents/f03016.pdf
• FTFs: www.meca.org/cs/root/diesel_retrofit_subsite/what_is_retrofit/what_is_retrofit
• DPFs: www.epa.gov/otaq/retrofit/documents/f03017.pdf
Grant applications may be submitted in one of two ways:
• Online via eDEP application (preferred method); access eDEP at www.mass.gov/dep/air/diesel/wcv.htm
• Paper submittal; download the grant application in Microsoft Word at www.mass.gov/dep/air/diesel/wcv.htm
Applications must be signed by the following people:
• Municipalities: A municipal official with authority to apply for grants on behalf of the municipality
• Private waste haulers: The president or chief executive of the company
The completed application should be mailed to:
Susan Lyon, Diesel Reduction Grant Coordinator
MassDEP
1 Winter Street, 6th floor
Boston, MA 02108
Funding for this program is provided by the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act and other sources. This program is an extension of the DEP’s existing diesel WCV retrofit program, which has awarded grants in the last two years to 14 municipalities and five private haulers to retrofit a collective 175 vehicles.
For more information, contact DEP environmental planner Susan Lyon at (617) 556-1101 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Public Works, Energy & Utilities Grants for retrofitting waste trucks available
Grants for retrofitting waste trucks available
Through a competitive grant program, the Department of Environmental Protection is offering funds to municipalities and private waste haulers to equip eligible diesel waste collection vehicles with pollution control devices, or retrofits, that will reduce the tailpipe pollutants.
Applications for the third round of the MassDEP Diesel Waste Collection Vehicle Retrofit Program are due by 5 p.m. on Friday, March 12.
Municipalities that own their waste and recycling trucks, and private haulers that collect residential waste at the curb on a regular basis, are eligible for the grant. Municipalities that do not own their waste trucks are encouraged to contact the private haulers they contract with and persuade them to apply for the grants.
The DEP will be holding workshops about the program on Feb. 24 in Gardner and North Adams, Feb. 25 in Wilmington, and Feb. 26 in Lakeville.
• Download retrofit workshop details (100K PDF)
Two vendors of retrofit equipment under state contract, Shuster Corporation and Southworth-Milton Inc., will install the retrofits. The DEP will pay the vendors directly for the equipment and its installation; waste vehicle owners will not be involved in the payment process. The deadline for the installation of the retrofits is Sept. 30, 2010.
To apply, each waste collection vehicle must meet all of the following criteria:
• Be registered in Massachusetts
• Pick up residential waste and/or recycling on a regular basis
• Be a rear-loading, front-loading or side-loading waste compactor or recycling truck
• Run on diesel fuel
• Operate with a 1985 to 2006 model year engine
• Be owned and in service for at least another two years
Vehicles are not eligible for this program if they service roll-on/roll-off containers and/or collect commercial waste, construction waste, or demolition waste.
Three types of retrofit technologies will be available: diesel oxidation catalysts (DOCs), diesel flow-through filters (FTFs), and diesel particulate filters (DPFs). These technologies have been installed in more than 500,000 on-road vehicles to date and function similarly to catalytic converters installed in gasoline passenger vehicles.
Why retrofit waste collection vehicles?
Some diesel waste collection vehicles are among the most heavily polluting vehicles on Massachusetts roads. Some of the pollutants these vehicles emit include:
• Diesel fine particulate matter (PM), which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has identified as likely to cause cancer
• Hydrocarbons (HC), which help form ground-level smog and are associated with increased hospital admissions for respiratory distress, including bronchitis
• Carbon monoxide (CO), which can cause headaches and nausea
The effects of these pollutants are compounded because waste collection vehicles spend a large part of their time idling or moving slowly through urban and suburban neighborhoods, exposing residents and workers to toxic pollutants.
What is a diesel retrofit and what will it do?
A diesel retrofit is an enhanced exhaust filtering system that reduces emissions from a diesel vehicle and is installed in place of or along side a vehicle’s muffler. They take only a few hours to install, but reduce pollution for the life of the vehicle. A retrofit can reduce PM, HC and CO by up to 90 percent.
For more information, see the following fact sheets developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Manufacturers of Emission Controls Association:
• DOCs: www.epa.gov/otaq/retrofit/documents/f03016.pdf
• FTFs: www.meca.org/cs/root/diesel_retrofit_subsite/what_is_retrofit/what_is_retrofit
• DPFs: www.epa.gov/otaq/retrofit/documents/f03017.pdf
Grant applications may be submitted in one of two ways:
• Online via eDEP application (preferred method); access eDEP at www.mass.gov/dep/air/diesel/wcv.htm
• Paper submittal; download the grant application in Microsoft Word at www.mass.gov/dep/air/diesel/wcv.htm
Applications must be signed by the following people:
• Municipalities: A municipal official with authority to apply for grants on behalf of the municipality
• Private waste haulers: The president or chief executive of the company
The completed application should be mailed to:
Susan Lyon, Diesel Reduction Grant Coordinator
MassDEP
1 Winter Street, 6th floor
Boston, MA 02108
Funding for this program is provided by the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act and other sources. This program is an extension of the DEP’s existing diesel WCV retrofit program, which has awarded grants in the last two years to 14 municipalities and five private haulers to retrofit a collective 175 vehicles.
For more information, contact DEP environmental planner Susan Lyon at (617) 556-1101 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
