Local municipal officials join statewide push urging Gov. Healey to support keeping food waste out of trash

City officials from Everett, Malden, Revere & Saugus join group from 13 other communities calling for increased, consistent composting

  The following is from info provided by the Clean Water Fund (www.cleanwater.org).

While residents across the Commonwealth have just experienced a record-breaking heatwave in some areas, municipal officials are acting on a less-often-discussed contributor to the climate crisis: food waste. Fifty-one municipal officials from 17 cities and towns across Massachusetts made that connection and urged the state to take action in a letter delivered this week to Governor Maura Healey and Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) Commissioner Bonnie Heiple.

Included were a number of local city and town officials, including Everett City Council President Stephanie Martins, Malden Councillor-at-Large Carey McDonald, Revere City Council President Marc Silvestri and Revere Councillors Juan Pablo Jaramillo (at-Large), Ira Novoselsky (Ward 2), Michelle Kelley (at-Large), Robert Haas III (at-Large) and Angela Guarino-Sawaya (Ward 5) and Saugus Board of Selectmen Chair Debra Panetta.

While landfill space in Massachusetts is rapidly filling up, food waste decomposing in landfills produces methane, a potent greenhouse gas. And according to EPA data, landfills are one of the largest sources of methane emissions in the Bay State. MassDEP estimates that food waste accounts for more than 25 percent of the waste stream after recycling, or over one million tons per year.

“We ask the State to put in place concrete plans, funding and technical assistance to increase composting infrastructure, working in partnership with communities like ours to divert food waste and minimize the climate impact of discarded food. An expansion of sustainable waste management practices will benefit our residents and our economy. Communities like ours are ready to partner with the state to expand composting in MA,” states the letter.

The 51 signers represent the following 17 communities: Everett, Malden, Revere, Saugus, Agawam, Greenfield, New Bedford, Worcester, Boston, Lawrence, Newton, Somerville, Chelsea, Lynn, Northampton, Taunton and Waltham.

“Municipalities across the state are leading by building waste diversion programs that address the climate crisis effects of landfilling food waste. We need the resources to build out these programs into comprehensive municipal services that make it easier and affordable for working class communities and their residents to partake in reducing methane emissions and meeting out the Commonwealth’s emissions goals,” said Revere Councillor-at-Large Juan Pablo Jaramillo.

“Methane poses significant health and environmental risks and is the second largest contributor to climate change which disproportionately affects our most vulnerable communities,” said Clean Water Action Zero Waste Organizer Amber Schmidt, who helped coordinate the letter. “Diverting organic waste from landfills will prevent the unnecessary release of methane while providing numerous benefits such as compost for healthy soil and new green jobs.”

Massachusetts currently generates over six million tons of waste per year, with a growing percentage exported to other states. In 2024, Clean Water Action and MASSPIRG launched a campaign called Plate to Planet with a goal of reducing food waste and diverting all organics from disposal. To reach the goals in its 2030 Solid Waste Master Plan, the state must more than double its rate of food diversion from landfills and incinerators.

  Since the organization’s founding during the campaign to pass the landmark Clean Water Act in 1972, Clean Water Action has worked to win strong health and environmental protections by bringing issue expertise, solution-oriented thinking, and people power to the table.

Following is the text of the letter sent to Governor Healey:

The Honorable Maura Healey

Massachusetts State House

24 Beacon Street Boston, MA 02133

Dear Governor Healey,

We, the undersigned officials from various municipalities across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, write to you today with a pressing concern and an urgent call to action. As stewards of our communities and the environment, we are interested in expanding our efforts to divert food waste from landfills, but we lack the infrastructure and funding to develop comprehensive local or regional systems for the collection and processing of food waste into valuable resources.

With the Commonwealth of Massachusetts support, we could expand our composting efforts. We ask the State to put in place concrete plans, funding and technical assistance to increase composting infrastructure, working in partnership with communities like ours to divert food waste and minimize the climate impact of discarded food. An expansion of sustainable waste management practices will benefit our residents and our economy.

Communities like ours are ready to partner with the state to expand composting in MA.

• Now is the time for Massachusetts to accelerate progress, as we must more than double our rate of organic waste diversion to meet the state’s 2030 solid waste master plan goals. As you well know, the state’s landfills are filling up. In 2022, Massachusetts collectively exported 2,590,000 tons of waste, an increase of 20,000 tons from 2021 to 2022. Exported waste is costly, often being sent to other states as far away as Alabama. Massachusetts exports wood, brick, asphalt and other debris, much of which is banned from our landfills. That waste accounted for almost a third of what’s buried in Maine’s state landfill. Every year, Bay Staters throw away 6 million tons of garbage. Nearly 25% of that garbage is food. Some of this food is likely to be edible while other food waste is better handled via composting. Meanwhile, a recent U.S. Census survey found that 21.9 percent of Massachusetts households with children do not have access to sufficient or quality food, despite the abundance produced.

Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, and while landfills such as Chicopee, Crapo Hill, Fitchburg-Westminster, Granby, Plainville, Quarry Hills, Southbridge, and Taunton collect landfill gas and use it as an energy source, according to EPA data, landfills are one of the largest sources of methane emissions in our state.

The environmental and health implications of methane emissions are well-documented, contributing to climate change which disproportionately affects our most vulnerable communities. These impacts align closely with our shared commitment to environmental justice, ensuring that all Massachusetts residents have the right to a clean and healthy environment. We urge you to take executive action to spur the diversion of organic waste from landfills. By implementing and supporting policies that encourage composting and other organic waste processing methods, we can significantly reduce methane emissions and slow the rate at which landfills are filling. The benefits of such actions extend far beyond environmental protection. Food diversion and composting programs should be considered an environmental justice priority to reduce pollution in vulnerable and over-burdened communities.

Diverting organic waste from landfills can also unlock numerous beneficial products, such as compost, which enriches our soil and supports local agriculture. Moreover, this shift can stimulate economic growth by creating new green jobs in composting facilities, waste management, and related sectors. The recent textile ban from landfills is a notable example of how policy innovation has created programs and outlets for the successful recovery of materials. These actions are key to achieving your Administration’s greenhouse gas reduction and environmental justice goals.

We envision a collaborative effort between the state government and local municipalities to develop and implement a comprehensive plan for organics diversion. This plan should include:

1. Increased Funding and Resources: Allocate state funding to support municipal and regional composting programs and food waste diversion, including infrastructure development and public education campaigns. Examples of needed infrastructure include funding for curbside collection programs, drop off programs and compost sites.
2. Regulatory Support: Establish regulatory reforms, including, as funding is put in place to support needed infrastructure, steadily increasing the percentage of organic waste reclaimed and diverted from disposal.
3. Public-Private Partnerships: Foster collaborations between public entities and private companies to create a robust market for compost and other organic products, ensuring that these materials are processed and utilized effectively.

By taking these steps, we can position Massachusetts as a leader in sustainable waste management and climate action. Your leadership and commitment to this cause will not only improve the quality of life for our residents but also set a powerful example for other states to follow.

We stand ready to work with you and your administration to achieve these critical goals. Together, we can build a healthier, more sustainable, and more equitable future for all Massachusetts residents.