MassDEP convenes joint C&D and market‑development meeting; staff flag enforcement and new reporting tools

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection convened a virtual joint meeting of its Construction and Demolition Subcommittee and the Recycling Market Development Work Group to spotlight market solutions and regulatory compliance for construction materials.

MassDEP Chief Coordinator Sean Silver said the session was intended to support the Solid Waste Master Plan’s goals and to focus on the C&D action plan objective of developing end markets. He noted the department’s midcourse assessment of the 2030 Solid Waste Master Plan will be published in January 2026 and stressed that landfill capacity and material tonnages remain a concern.

MassDEP staff highlighted a newly released C&D reporting form that has been piloted since June and used quarterly by 18 large processors. Mike Elliott said annual C&D reports are due Feb. 15 and quarterly reports are due 15 days after the end of each quarter; MassDEP said it will consider moving quarterly deadlines later in the month to ease reporting burdens.

The meeting included presentations on four material streams — brick reuse, gypsum drywall, asphalt shingles, and post‑consumer rigid plastics — followed by audience questions and discussion. Elliott signaled that MassDEP will increase enforcement of permit provisions requiring processors to spread and inspect loads on the tip floor and separate clean gypsum prior to mechanical processing.

MassDEP also previewed the Recycling and Reuse Business Development grant round, expected to be posted in January 2026, and urged continued interagency engagement and outreach to contractors and small businesses to improve source separation and collection.