Press Release  Bump: DCAMM is a “Poor Steward of Earth and Taxpayer Dollars”

Boston — The Executive branch agency charged with management of properties owned and leased by the Commonwealth is not ensuring solid waste recycling takes place in those buildings, despite an executive order to do so, according to an audit released today by State Auditor Suzanne M. Bump. The audit of the Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM) shows that it was not ensuring that all solid waste recycling requirements at state-owned buildings were met and was not monitoring the waste removal and recycling practices at state leased buildings. Some state agencies reported that they did no recycling at all. The audit also notes that DCAMM did not track or maintain records of recycling activities, and did not analyze waste disposed of to identify areas for improvement or potential cost savings.

In the audit, Bump calls on DCAMM to implement better oversight of waste disposal in government owned and leased buildings to ensure state agencies are complying with their responsibilities related to recycling. Additionally, Bump encourages DCAMM to pursue potential financial credits for recycled items, which would save taxpayer dollars by offsetting the cost of solid waste disposal in state buildings.

“Massachusetts likes to think itself a leader in environmental management, but state government itself is setting a pretty poor example,” Bump said. “It is embarrassing to learn that DCAMM is such a poor steward of the Earth and of taxpayer dollars.”

In its response to the audit findings, DCAMM conceded it was falling short and indicated it would bolster its oversight of recycling and solid waste removal in state government buildings and would explore opportunities to receive financial credits for recycling activities.

An audit of Bridgewater State University, which was released in March, found similar issues at the school.

The Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance oversees management of all properties owned or leased by the Commonwealth.

The audit of DCAMM is available here.

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