On May 11, James Coleman and Sarah Weinstein from the Department of Environmental Protection met with the MMA’s Policy Committee on Energy and the Environment to identify barriers to, and opportunities for, advancing anaerobic digestion, composting and recycling capacity in Massachusetts.

The technologies for composting and recycling organic materials have improved a great deal over the last 20 years. Today, many anaerobic digestion, composting and recycling facilities are less like solid waste dumps and more like modern manufacturing plants.

State regulations and incentives have not been updated to keep up with the changing technology, however. Several months ago, the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs formed the Task Force on Building Organics Capacity to ensure appropriate public participation in the siting process and to ensure that facilities are designed, constructed and operated in a manner that protects public health and the environment.

At the policy committee meeting, Coleman and Weinstein asked local officials for guidance in developing regulations for permitting these facilities. They said the DEP is now developing a package of amendments for the Site Assignment Regulation (310 CMR 16.00) that are being designed to provide a clear process for permitting facilities that accept and process organic materials generated at other locations, and for recycling facilities more generally.

The task force includes representatives from local boards of health, other municipal officials, and environmental health organizations.

The DEP attended the MMA policy committee meeting to gain additional insight from mayors, councillors, selectmen and town managers, along with the technical experts on the committee.

For more information or to view a “pre-public hearing” draft of the regulation amendments and to submit comments, visit www.mass.gov/dep/public/committee/adtf.htm.

Comments on this version must be received by the end of the day on June 3. The next step will be publication of a formal public hearing draft.

+
+