Zero Waste Massachusetts issues report on diversion tactics

The state of Massachusetts throws out about 5.5 million tons of waste annually, but, of that, about 40 percent comprises “long-banned materials such as glass and metal containers, ferrous and non-ferrous metals, leaves and yard waste, recyclable paper, cardboard and paperboard, certain plastic containers, wood waste and tires,” all of which can and should be recycled, Zero Waste Massachusetts says in a recently released report.

“There is no silver bullet; we must deploy several tactics to reduce waste,” the report says. “With a spotlight on this problem, public education, increased resources from [Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection], better infrastructure and a commitment from municipalities, state legislators, the governor and other decision-makers, we can vastly improve the problem of too much banned waste going to landfills and incinerators.”

The report cites successes on the island of Nantucket, Massachusetts; in Seattle; in the state of Vermont; and in San Francisco where various measures have reduced the amount of material landfilled or incinerated.

Based on those case studies, Zero Waste Massachusetts recommends the state take the following steps to minimize the volume of material landfilled or burned:

• Hold waste haulers responsible. They should inspect trash bins and issue warnings and penalties to raise public awareness and change behavior.
• The state should devote more resources to waste ban inspections and issue more noncompliance orders to transfer stations and solid waste facilities to increase awareness and hire more waste band inspectors.
• The state should start issuing fines rules that are “sufficiently high to influence behavior changes” for noncompliance with disposal rules.
• Waste stream separation is needed. Cities and towns should distribute separate bins for recyclable materials, discarded food yard waste, and trash.
• Cities and towns should mandate the use of clear trash bags to make it much easier for haulers and processors to inspect materials. Waste facilities and haulers should be required to reject opaque bags.
• Wherever necessary, communicate with the public in multiple languages and through the use of clear visual aids.
• Reduce the amount of banned material that haulers can dump at solid waste facilities or landfills.
• Place lists of banned materials in visible places where business owners and residents can easily find them. In Massachusetts, too much data about banned materials and waste ban enforcement is “buried within the depths of unnavigable websites.”

“Our solid waste crisis requires that Massachusetts, along with the other states and cities … make better progress on reducing waste,” the report says. “Waste bans, properly implemented, reduce the amount of material sent for burial or burning. Waste bans are a critical tool to help us reduce the air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions associated with landfilling and incinerating waste, improve public health and prevent the need to build new solid waste facilities.”