MassDEP: mattress, textile and food waste bans linked to rapid increases in diversion

Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection staff presented data showing measurable increases in material diversion after recent waste disposal ban changes.

John (MassDEP) said mattress recyclers reported recycling or reusing about 170,000 units in 2022 (the year the mattress ban took effect in November) and roughly 400,000 units in 2023 — an increase of about 135% year over year. MassDEP credited growth in mattress recycling infrastructure and increased diversion but noted some mattresses still enter the trash stream.

On textiles, John reported that 15 large textile-recovery organizations shared data that showed about 43,000 tons recovered in 2022 and nearly 46,000 tons in 2023 (about a 7% rise). He cautioned that those figures exclude informal reuse channels — resale platforms, consignment stores and individual sales — so the total reuse and recovery is higher than the reported tonnage.

For food material, John said MassDEP estimated roughly 100,000 tons of diversion prior to the original 2014 ban and has seen steady increases through 2022–2023. He reported a 6% (≈20,000-ton) increase in the last year and a two‑year gain of about 31%. MassDEP set a goal of 780,000 tons diverted by 2030 and said anaerobic digestion currently receives the largest share of diverted food material; the agency said it would seek to increase composting tonnage over time.

MassDEP also discussed compliance and enforcement: inspections happen at points of disposal (landfills, transfer stations, combustion facilities), and the agency has a certification form to document contaminated loads (wet, moldy, bed-bug infested) that are excluded from the ban. John said compliance on mattresses and textiles has generally been good, but MassDEP did not provide detailed enforcement statistics on the call.