Campaign for Zero Waste

Don't Waste Massachusetts

Recycling Laws Are Being Violated

We already have a law that bans dumping recyclable materials in landfills and incinerators. And yet, every year more than 2 million tons of recyclable materials get dumped with the rest of the garbage.

Why?

Because the Department of Environmental Protection is lax on enforcement, while businesses, haulers, and landfill and incinerator operators ignore the regulations.

Waste Is Piling Up

Our incinerators are spewing toxic pollution, and our landfills are overflowing and leaking. That’s because we bury, burn or export 53 percent of our waste. But, of the waste that ends up in incinerators and landfills, more than half of it is recyclable, and a third of it is from excess packaging.

We Can Achieve Zero Waste

MASSPIRG is fighting to get the Commonwealth on the path to zero waste. The first step is to enforce the recycling laws already on the books. But we can’t stop there: we’re working to ensure that state waste policy is dedicated to the principle of reduce, reuse, recycle, and that the Department of Environmental Protection is held accountable for the goals laid out in its Solid Waste Master Plan 2010-2020.

In order to accomplish these goals, MASSPIRG is pushing for commonsense solutions – such as a statewide ban on unnecessary plastic bags and an updated Bottle Bill, our most effective recycling program. We have also called for enforcement of waste bans which have been on the books for years but which many big businesses ignore. And, with the leadership of Senator Cynthia Creem and Rep Gloria Fox, we filed a bill which, when passed, will put the Commonwealth on a set timeline to achieve 70% recycling for water bottles and similar containers.

Blog Post | Solid Waste

Janert Domenitz to speak at Ballot Questions Forum on Wednesday, 10/29 | Ben Martin-McDonough

Janert Domenitz to speak at Ballot Questions Forum hosted by the The Boston 500 tonight, 10/29, from 6:30-8pm at the Twelfth Baptist Church on 160 Warren Street in Roxbury

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Media Hit | Solid Waste

Yes on Question 2: Expand the bottle bill

For the whole of Massachusetts, and its future as a region that seeks to limit its environmental footprint, the benefits of expanding the bottle bill are clear.

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Media Hit | Solid Waste

Advertisements with inaccurate data aid foes of wider bottle law

A barrage of critical television advertisements containing information that state statistics show is false has apparently led to a dramatic increase in opposition to a November ballot proposal to expand the state bottle law.

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News Release | Yes on 2 Campaign | Solid Waste

Yes on 2 Campaign Calls on Attorney General and Secretary of State to Address Misinformation in Opponent's Advertisements

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Media Hit | Solid Waste

Thirty years later, they’re still pushing the bottle bill

MASSPIRG's Executive Director Janet Domenitz's career as political organizer and effort to update the Bottle Bill on the ballot this November.

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News Release | Coalition to Update the Bottle Bill | Solid Waste

Legislative Committee Kills Updated Bottle Bill

With the support of 77% of the public, 208 cities and towns, Governor Patrick, and a majority of legislators, the measure should have been swiftly adopted. "Instead of Massachusetts taking home the gold medal, by disqualifying the public's opinion, the legislature gives us more litter, more waste, and less recycling." said Janet Domenitz, Executive Director of MASSPIRG.

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News Release | MASSPIRG | Solid Waste

Big Crowd Gathers at State House Calling for House Passage of the Updated Bottle Bill

In the wake of the state Senate’s passage of the Updated Bottle Bill last week, and with Governor Patrick a huge champion, supporters gathered today to call on Speaker Robert DeLeo and the House of Representatives to finally pass the Update after 14 years.

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News Release | MASSPIRG and Toxics Action Center | Solid Waste

Don’t Waste Massachusetts Calls for Release of Waste Plan

Two years ago this July 1st, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) released its draft Solid Waste Master Plan for 2010 – 2020, “Pathway to Zero Waste.” Following the release, DEP held five public hearings on the Plan across the state and received input from municipalities, businesses and industry, recycling advocacy groups, and hundreds of citizens. And since then, the draft Solid Waste Master Plan – the state’s number one guiding document on all things waste – has been sitting on the shelf, gathering dust, waiting to be finalized and shown to the public.

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News Release | Coalition to Update the Bottle Bill | Solid Waste

Back-room, closed-door maneuvers postpone action on Updated Bottle Bill

Despite a legislative committee’s vote to bury a proposal to update the state’s Bottle Bill, proponents pledged to continue their push for the bill’s passage before the end of the legislative session.

“The idea of sending it to a ‘study’ is an insult to the public of Massachusetts,” said Janet Domenitz, Executive Director of MASSPIRG. “The bill has been studied, restudied, and studied once again. Seventy-seven percent of the public supports it, a majority of legislators (105) are on record endorsing it, and 208 cities and towns have passed resolutions in favor of it. Burying this bill today shows how profoundly out of touch a few legislators on this one committee are with their constituents. There is no alternative, better way, nor substitute for the enormously successful deposit system.”

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News Release | Coalition to Update the Bottle Bill | Solid Waste

Majority of Legislators on Record Supporting Updated Bottle Bill

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Watch the video

In a turn of events that gives big momentum to the legislation, a majority of both the House and the Senate are now on record in favor of the Updated Bottle Bill, a proposal to add a 5-cent deposit to water bottles, sports drinks, iced teas and similar beverages. Proponents gathered on the steps of the State House this morning to call for its immediate passage.
Keep reading for video.

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News Release | MASSPIRG Education Fund

New report provides best practices for composting waste

Composting all organic waste -- including food scraps and yard trimmings -- could eliminate nearly one-third of all materials sent to landfills and trash incinerators across the United States. That’s according to Composting in America, a new report released today by the MASSPIRG Education Fund and the Frontier Group. The report outlines best practices for composting programs, which are critical for mitigating the negative impact of waste on the climate and public health.

News Release | MASSPIRG

MASSPIRG's Executive Director Janet Domenitz's Statement on bills to restrict the use of polystyrene heard today, before the Joint Committee on Public Health:

MASSPIRG calls on state legislative committee to ban use of polystyrene.

Blog Post

Before we spend $2 trillion, report recommends a 'Blueprint for Tomorrow'

For all of us who rely on our roads and public transit, and our water, sewage and power systems, the agreement reached by President Trump and Democratic congressional leaders in May to commit $2 trillion to infrastructure should be good news.

Blog Post

Maryland and Maine become the first states to ban plastic foam. Who's next?

Maryland and Maine are the first states in the U.S. to put a plastic foam container ban on the books, but other states aren't far behind.

Blog Post

Leading cyber-security experts endorse right to repair

In many places, industry representatives, speaking for the manufacturers, say right to repair is a cybersecurity issue. If we let consumers or independent repair techs access tech manuals, diagnostic software or firmware patches it will mean the loss of security of our electronics … or so the claims go. It turns out that the who’s who of cyber-security experts disagree with these industry claims, and believe a more open repair market improves security.

Solid Waste | U.S. PIRG

25 billion foam cups trashed in the U.S.

That's 83 cups per person — every single year. They never fully degrade, but persist in our environment for centuries. Join our call to ban polystyrene foam cups and containers.

Solid Waste | U.S. PIRG

Let's move beyond plastic

Nothing we use for a few minutes should threaten our health and pollute our future for hundreds of years. One of the best ways to reduce the amount of trash headed to landfills is to ban items such as plastic foam cups and takeout containers.

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