MassDEP begins midcourse review of 2030 waste plan; officials flag capacity shortfalls, composting decline

John Fisher, MassDEP staff, opened an April organic subcommittee meeting by saying the agency is conducting a midcourse review of the Commonwealth's 2030 Solid Waste Master Plan and that food waste remains a major target for diversion. "This is a really important transition point as we think about our work to advance food waste reduction, recovery and diversion here in Massachusetts," Fisher said.

The meeting covered three linked areas: the state's progress toward the 2030 target for food-waste diversion, the practical capacity for processing separated organics, and potential next steps including whether to lower or eliminate the commercial food-waste disposal threshold. MassDEP reported that food discards represent "over one-fifth" of municipal trash (about 930,000 tons annually in the department's current estimate) and that the state's 2030 goal seeks roughly 780,000 tons diverted annually. As of 2023 MassDEP said diversion stood at about 380,000 tons.

Why it matters: MassDEP has already tightened the commercial disposal ban twice'initially in 2014 (1 ton/week threshold) and again in 2022 (0.5 ton/week), expanding the number of regulated business locations from about 2,000 to roughly 4,000. The agency is now reviewing whether further action is appropriate and how to align policy with available processing and collection infrastructure.

Key numbers and enforcement: Fisher summarized the state's enforcement and outreach to regulated entities. MassDEP reported 145 enforcement actions tied to food-material disposal and 14 higher-level consent orders with…