MassDEP says municipalities must adopt broader green purchasing policies to qualify for 2026 SMRP grants

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection told municipal officials in a webinar that towns and cities must adopt an expanded environmentally preferable purchasing policy by June 30, 2026 to be eligible for next year’s Sustainable Materials Recovery Program grant.

Becky, a planner with MassDEP’s municipal waste reduction branch, said the updated policy requirement will replace or broaden existing “buy recycled” rules and that MassDEP has posted a template municipalities may cut and paste into local policy documents.

The policy requirement matters because the Operational Services Division, which manages statewide contracts, already includes environmental specifications for many products and services that municipalities buy, Agnes Rysbicki, coordinator for OSD’s climate and sustainability unit, told webinar participants. “When governments choose sustainable options, they send very strong signals that influence the supplier community,” Rysbicki said.

MassDEP and OSD officials walked attendees through what the agencies will expect from municipal policies and the resources available to comply. MassDEP staff said the minimally required language for the SMRP grant will include: a commitment to purchase products listed in OSD’s EPP (environmentally preferable products) index or via statewide contracts that include environmental specifications; a commitment to buy products with post-consumer recycled content where practicable; and…