New waste ban regulations that promote recycling and re-use, reduce trash disposal, and foster recycling business growth take effect starting November 1, 2022. The new regulations will ban the disposal of mattresses and textiles in the trash, as well as decrease food waste from businesses and institutions.
Massachusetts currently has a food waste ban on businesses disposing one ton or more per week, and these regulations lower that threshold to a half-ton per week. MassDEP has supported the food waste ban by providing grants to businesses establishing or expanding capacity to manage food waste.
Textiles represent another important opportunity for Massachusetts to reduce the waste stream and capture valuable resources. Each year, the Commonwealth throws out more than 200,000 tons of textiles in the trash. This includes old clothing, as well as other things like towels, linens, and even bags, belts, and shoes. Fortunately, Massachusetts has an extensive collection infrastructure of both non-profit and for-profit textile recovery organizations that can find a new use for these materials, either through selling or donating for reuse, or recycling into products such as carpet padding, insulation, or wiping rags.
Mattresses are a difficult material to manage at solid waste facilities and take up a large amount of space in landfills. More than 75 precent of mattresses can be effectively separated and recycled, including metal, wood, fabric, and padding. MassDEP has provided grants to help establish mattress recycling programs in 137 municipalities.
Visit https://www.mass.gov/guides/massdep-waste-disposal-bans to learn more, or call your local department of public works, 508-979-4030 in Fairhaven; 508-998-0230 in Acushnet.
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