Solid Waste Master Plan

December 2021

MassDEP released its final Reduce & Reuse Action Plan (found in Additional Resources below), which the agency committed to develop and update as part of its 2030 Solid Waste Master Plan. The Action Plan was developed with input from the Reduce & Reuse Working Group. 

November 2021

MassDEP presented a webinar on the newly published 2030 Solid Waste Master Plan, covering how much and what kinds of trash Massachusetts generates; the state's goals for reducing waste; grants and assistance available to cities, towns, and businesses; and how reuse, recycling, and composting create jobs and grow the state's economy.

See Additional Resources below to learn more.

MassDEP issued its Draft 2030 Solid Waste Master Plan for public comment in September 2019. The agency convened five public hearings on the document across the state and accepted comment through early December of that year.

Based on input received during the initial public comment period as well as other developments, MassDEP held four more virtual public hearings and accepted additional comment on the document over the summer of 2020.

The re-opened public comment period focused specifically, but not exclusively, on issues of environmental justice, climate change, and the impacts of COVID-19 as they related to solid waste management in Massachusetts. 

See Additional Resources below to learn more.

The studies below provide data on and analysis of:

• Trash disposal at municipal waste combustion facilities in Massachusetts, broken down by material category.
• Facilities with capacity to manage waste materials in Massachusetts and nearby states.

Together, this information provides valuable insight into opportunities for Massachusetts to increase both recycling and composting.

Each year, MassDEP collects and analyzes statewide solid waste management data to:

• Track the progress Massachusetts is making toward its waste reduction, reuse, and recycling goals; and
• Ensure that facilities across the state have sufficient capacity to dispose of material that cannot be reduced, reused, or recycled.

See below for recent solid waste management data updates.