MassDEP reopens comment period on draft Solid Waste Master Plan

The Department of Environmental Protection announced in late June that it is accepting additional public comments on its Draft 2030 Solid Waste Master Plan.

The reopened public comment period will focus specifically, but not exclusively, on issues of environmental justice, climate change and the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on solid waste management in Massachusetts.

The draft plan and related information is available at www.mass.gov/guides/solid-waste-master-plan.

Written comments may be submitted through Sept. 15 to dep.swmp@mass.gov or by mail to John Fischer, Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, 1 Winter St., Boston, MA 02108.

The DEP will also host four virtual public hearings, via Zoom, during which stakeholders may offer comments. The sessions will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on the following dates:
• July 22 – link to register
• Aug. 20 – link to register
• Sept. 1 – link to register
• Sept. 10 – link to register

The DEP released its draft solid waste master plan last fall and held five public hearings and a public comment period. The MMA submitted comments on Dec. 9.

During the fall hearings and comment period, the DEP was asked to conduct more engagement with “environmental justice communities,” which have experienced disproportionate environmental burdens.

In a press release, DEP Commissioner Martin Suuberg said the department is “committed to thoughtful public engagement to ensure that the Solid Waste Master Plan reflects the issues faced by environmental justice communities.”

He added that “it is critically important to take a fresh look at the draft plan in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, and to consider its impacts on solid waste and recycling.”

The Solid Waste Master Plan, typically updated every 10 years, establishes the policy framework for solid waste management in Massachusetts.