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MassDEP says state is shifting food‑waste focus to smaller generators as inspections increase
Summary
Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection officials outlined progress and new emphasis on diverting food waste from small businesses and residents, reported inspection and enforcement activity, and previewed a 2025 master‑plan review to consider lowering regulatory thresholds.
John Fisher, deputy division director for Solid Waste at the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, told the organic subcommittee that food waste remains the largest material in the state’s trash stream — "just over 20%" — amounting to "a little bit over 900,000 tons a year" still being disposed. He said the department’s 2030 target is an annual food‑waste reduction of about 780,000 tons, a roughly 500,000‑ton increase from a 2018 baseline.
Fisher said MassDEP estimates current permitted management capacity at about 500,000 tons per year, "enough to handle what we're generating and diverting right now, but not enough to support reaching our 2030 goals." He described interstate flows of food…
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