Massachusetts’ Baker-Polito administration awarded more than $1 million in grants to six companies under the Recycling Business Development Grant (RBDG) program, which will enable the companies to better process and manage glass, wood, plastics and mixed recyclables.

The grant program, administered by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP), will expand the recycling operations and increase the amount and quality of recycling now occurring at 120 Old Boston Road Recycling Co. of Wilbraham; Aaron Industries Corp. of Leominster; Casella Waste Management of MA, Auburn; J M Equipment Co. of East Freetown; Champion City Recovery of Stoughton; and United Material Management of Millbury.

“Partnering with private businesses and local stakeholders is a vital part of our efforts to increase and improve recycling in Massachusetts to protect our natural resources and reduce our greenhouse gas emissions,” said Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker in a statement. “These recycling grants will support local businesses, grow the economy and make the Commonwealth more sustainable.”

“Increasing recycling opportunities for hard-to-recycle materials in communities across the Commonwealth will help significantly reduce our waste stream, while creating jobs and stimulating the economy,” said Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito in a statement. “With this grant program, we are investing in infrastructure to better manage those materials that private industry can collect and convert into valuable end products.”

The RBDG program targets difficult-to-recycle materials, including glass, wood, plastics and mixed recyclables. This most recent round of grants will fund projects that promote materials recovery and will build the state’s infrastructure to better manage these materials. As a condition of receiving funding, grant recipients commit to meeting tonnage goals over a two-year period.

“Massachusetts has a goal to reduce our trash disposal by 2 million tons annually by 2020, and under our updated Solid Waste Master Plan for 2020-2030, we will seek to better that goal,” said MassDEP Commissioner Martin Suuberg in a statement. “The businesses receiving these grants will help to keep these valuable materials out of the waste stream and, instead, turn them into new products, valuable compost or a renewable energy source.”

Grant recipients are: