Municipal Solid Waste Reduction Through Food Waste Diversion and Recycling Initiatives

The report evaluates how Massachusetts municipalities are working toward the goals set in the MassDEP 2030 Solid Waste Master Plan, focusing on waste reduction, recycling initiatives, and especially food waste diversion. It identifies barriers, highlights successes, and makes policy recommendations, drawing on statewide and local examples. Primary methods include a literature review of articles covering the challenges municipalities face in waste reduction and some successful approaches. However, there is a literature gap regarding the impact of local staffing and implementation of waste reduction strategies. Data and case examples from Massachusetts are used to illustrate the benefits of dedicated staffing for waste reduction programs at the local level. The report finds that while local dedicated staff can improve a municipality’s fulfillment of state mandates and waste reduction goals, very few communities have dedicated staff, creating a gap in their abilities to follow the state’s mandates. The author recommends steps for municipalities to take to better position themselves to meet the state’s goals. The author also recommends that the state should create better incentives, specifically to help municipalities create dedicated positions for waste reduction programs, and that the state should enhance statewide enforcement mechanisms related to compliance with its waste reduction related mandates.