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MassDEP outlines reuse priorities: deconstruction, reusable foodware and microgrants
Summary
Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection staff gave an update on the Reduce & Reuse working group, highlighting deconstruction efforts to salvage building materials, voluntary best-practice guidance for reusable foodware under review by public health, and 23 microgrants totaling more than $140,000 awarded this cycle.
Leah Kelleher, of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection’s municipal waste reduction branch, told the Solid Waste Advisory Committee that MassDEP’s Reduce & Reuse working group is driving work on deconstruction, reusable foodware and textiles as part of the 2030 Solid Waste Master Plan and the agency’s 2021 Reduce and Reuse Action Plan.
Kelleher said the group identified priority materials—single-use packaging, building materials and textiles—and that MassDEP is pursuing actionable steps to expand reuse. “MassDEP established the reduce reuse working group as part of our 2030 solid waste master plan,” she said, adding the agency plans an in-person workshop to gather stakeholders and refine next steps.
On deconstruction, Kelleher described a MassDEP subgroup that focuses on careful dismantling of buildings to preserve reusable materials and reduce demolition waste. The subgroup includes building officials, contractors and municipal planners; Kelleher said members have held seven deep-dive meetings and are planning a broader in-person convening to identify policy, grant and technical-assistance options to grow the reuse market.
MassDEP is also developing voluntary best-practice guidance for reusable food serviceware in collaboration with Recycling Works in Massachusetts. The guidance, intended for local health officials and food-service businesses, aims to reduce single-use packaging while ensuring food-safety compliance; Kelleher said the Massachusetts Department of Public Health is reviewing the draft.
On textiles and bulky items, she said textiles represent more than 5% of the waste stream and that MassDEP grant programs have supported textile recovery and market development since the 2022 disposal ban. Kelleher said MassDEP will next turn more attention to bulky items—appliances, furniture and business fixtures—as part of its reuse agenda.
Kelleher also announced a microgrant program increase: the microgrants were raised to $10,000 this year; MassDEP awarded 23 microgrants totaling more than $140,000 and does not plan a second round this year because of processing delays. “We awarded 23 of them, which equated to more than $140,000 of grant funds,” she said, and added the next round will likely be announced early next year.
MassDEP said it will post the workshop and guidance materials, the Reduce and Reuse action plan and recorded meetings on its website and encouraged interested parties to join the working-group listserv for future updates.
