2026 RFP for ReuseVT.pdf

This is a Request for Proposals (RFP) issued by the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation's Solid Waste Program for the 2026 Reduce Reuse Pilot Grants program. The program seeks proposals for waste reduction projects that extend product lifecycles through donation, sharing, rescue, reuse, and repair activities. Eligible applicants include businesses, non-profits, solid waste management entities, municipalities, and schools or colleges. The State will award grants ranging from $3,000 to $10,000 per project, with proposals due October 16, 2026. All grant-funded work must be completed between December 15, 2026 and December 15, 2027, with specific deliverable deadlines outlined in the Scope of Work. Selected applicants will be subject to State monitoring to ensure compliance with grant agreement terms and granting agency requirements.

The program allocates a total of $40,000 in funding, which will be distributed across multiple awards. Funding authority derives from Vermont's 2023 Materials Management Plan and 10 V.S.A. 6604(a)(1)(B), which mandates promotion of the greatest feasible reduction in waste generation. The grant program explicitly excludes recycling and composting projects and targets three core objectives: increasing waste reduction through durables and repair use, building infrastructure to support widespread reuse and repair adoption in Vermont, and encouraging innovation through testing or expanding new approaches, systems, or technologies that advance these goals. The one-year performance window represents a short-term project commitment designed to facilitate rapid implementation of waste reduction initiatives.