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Town staff propose updated Environmentally Preferable Purchasing policy to meet MassDEP grant requirements
Summary
Deputy Town Manager Megan Zammuto presented a revision to APP‑49 that broadens the Buy Recycled policy into an Environmentally Preferable Purchasing policy to meet MassDEP SMRP grant requirements; staff said the update does not require new behavior by departments and requested committee feedback by April 1.
Deputy Town Manager Megan Zammuto presented a draft revision to Administrative Policy & Procedure (APP) 49 at the March 18 Climate Action Committee meeting. The revision broadens the Town’s existing Buy Recycled policy into an Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP) policy to align with MassDEP’s Sustainable Materials Recovery Program (SMRP) grant requirements.
Zammuto told the committee the revised APP‑49 is intended to incorporate sustainability and waste‑reduction considerations into municipal purchasing while maintaining fiscal responsibility, and that the update would not impose new operational requirements on departments. She said the policy broadens the Town’s purchasing guidance to prioritize products that minimize environmental impacts and support recycling markets while removing outdated reporting requirements no longer required by MassDEP.
Committee members asked for clarification on specific language (for example, references to single‑use plastics) and asked staff to share the draft with department heads. Members were asked to submit suggested edits to Megan by April 1 so staff could finalize the draft for the Town Manager’s review and any subsequent action required for SMRP grant applications.
