HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3074        FILED ON: 2/18/2021

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 971

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Paul W. Mark

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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act relative to recycling.

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PETITION OF:

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3074        FILED ON: 2/18/2021

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 971

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Second General Court
(2021-2022)

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An Act relative to recycling.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1. The commissioner of environmental protection shall establish performance standards for the reduction of municipal solid waste, as described in section 2, to achieve the purposes of the solid waste master plan and greenhouse gas reduction plan and to protect the natural environment, preserve resources, achieve progress toward the commonwealth's goals to reduce greenhouse gases and create green jobs in the commonwealth. The performance standards shall be promulgated by July 1, 2021.

SECTION 2. The department of environmental protection shall establish performance standards for municipal solid waste reduction on the basis of pounds per capita of solid waste disposed. The standards shall reduce solid waste to not more than 600 pounds per capita by July 1, 2022 and not more than 450 pounds per capita by July 1, 2026.

SECTION 3. Not later than December 1, 2021, the secretary of energy and environmental affairs, in consultation with the department of environmental protection and the department of energy resources, shall develop a municipal solid waste standards action plan to assist municipalities in achieving the standards set forth in this act. The secretary shall review the effectiveness of existing recycling programs and other incentives available to achieve these standards and shall make any recommendations available to the public on the website of the executive office of energy and environmental affairs. Recommendations may include, but shall not be limited to, potential regulatory or statutory changes to the solid waste master plan, the Clean Energy and Climate Plan for 2020 or the green communities program. The secretary shall consult with the solid waste advisory committee in developing the plan.

SECTION 4. Each city and town shall report to the department of environmental protection annually, by not later than September 1, the total weight of solid waste disposed of through the solid waste program of the city or town during the prior fiscal year, as well as the number of households and residents who participated in the program. If the department makes a determination that a city or town has not met the municipal solid waste reduction performance standards as prescribed by the department by July 1, 2022, that city or town shall submit a report to the department setting forth the reasons that the town did not meet the standards and detailing a plan to achieve the performance standards by July 1, 2026. The department shall issue a report on the municipal solid waste programs not later than December 1 of that year that provides per capita solid waste disposal statistics for the municipal solid waste programs and shall file the report with the clerks of the senate and house of representatives and the senate and house chairs of the joint committee on environment, natural resources and agriculture. The report may disaggregate solid waste tonnage information to highlight categories of waste, including waste that is beyond the control of a city or town such as waste created as a result of a natural disaster.