CMRPC Regional Waste Action Plan: Stakeholder Top Concerns & Strategies Survey

The Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission (CMRPC) is currently in the process of creating a regional waste action plan for the Central Massachusetts Region. CMRPC recently held a stakeholder forum at the Grafton Police Station where we heard from waste haulers, local recycling centers, local health boards and the State government about their concerns and needs regarding waste disposal in the region. CMRPC has since organized everyone's responses into the survey questions that you see below. Kindly tell us what your top three concerns and top three strategies for addressing waste disposal in the region are by checking off three boxes per question. Thank you for your participation and interest in this topic!

1.Which of the following concerns listed below do you believe are the top three (3) concerns regarding waste disposal in the Central Massachusetts region?

Disputes over Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT) programs between residents and waste haulers

Increased costs of sending waste out of state for waste haulers

Cost issues threatening PAYT programs

The cost of surveillance cameras for smaller waste haulers

Residents overfilling garbage bags and increasing town waste budgets

Residents not having enough knowledge about proper waste disposal practices

Residents not being able to access online media regarding trash issues/information because of lack of outreach or because they do not use social media

Local officials not having open office hours for hearing waste-related concerns

Towns not having enough $$ or capacity (especially Board of Health capacity) to meet mandates regarding cardboard and mattress disposal

Environmental contamination resulting from trash falling from freight trains onto train tracks

Lack of staffing capacity at recycling departments/centers

Lack of producer responsibility programs for mattress recycling

Lack of Town staff that work primarily on regional hazardous waste issues

Lack of waste disposal capacity

The State of Maine no longer accepting waste from out-of-state waste haulers

Wheelabrator being at capacity and needing a new contract for CMRPC towns by 2027

Waste sitting with waste haulers for long periods of time because landfills and incinerators are not accepting more waste

CMRPC towns not taking responsibility for disposing of our own waste within our region's borders

Lack of informative signage at Town dumps & recycling centers that teach residents how to recycle properly

Towns not using Census mailings to circulate information/conduct outreach concerning waste issues

Town websites being too oversaturated with information - residents often feel overwhelmed and need simplified instructions on proper waste disposal practices

Lack of accessible waste disposal information in local digests in the Central MA region

Residents not caring enough to recycle

Organic material, electronics, textiles and wood being thrown in the trash

Unfunded State mandates

Trash bags are easily ripping open and breaking, are too expensive, and are too heavy for waste haulers

Lack of waste hauler drivers

Small haulers needing financial assistance and staffing capacity to fill out grant applications

The waste hauler market does not have enough competition

Competition for waste haulers with sales representatives

Businesses not being held responsible for incorrect waste disposal and improper recycling habits

Lack of staffing capacity at local Boards of Health - staff is needed to focus on inspections

Not enough regulations that allow workers to take leftovers home/shelters for animals/families to eat

Not enough capacity at the municipal level to apply for grant applications to address recycling and waste issues

Other (please specify)

2.Which strategies listed below do you think are the most important for local/state/regional governments to be addressing regarding waste disposal and management?

Adopting PAYT cart programs to decrease amount of plastic bags being disposed of

Increasing the amount of multi-town waste related programing to keep prices down

Local trash companies connecting with technical school educational institutions to recruit and train new drivers for trash pick-up services

Increased regionalization of funding opportunities for municipalities

Smaller waste haulers reaching out to Regional Planning Commissions (RPCs) and vice versa for information about grant opportunities and/or grant application assistance

Increasing the amount of funding for the Recycling Dividends Program/other programs that are proven to reduce amount of trash being produced

Establishing programs for towns to help regional recycling centers

Having municipalities create more promotional videos on why it is important to volunteer at local recycling centers

Having municipalities promote recycling center and waste-related volunteer opportunities to college students and recent retirees

Recycling Dividends Program/other grant funds could be used to create a new Municipal Recycling Coordinator Position + pay their salary for a year in order for Town money to be freed up to improve capacity on local level

Having municipalities apply as a group for grant funds to pay the salary of a Regional Recycling Coordinator to work on waste programming for multiple towns

Municipalities partnering with local non-profit organizations to educate residents how trash separation and recycling is important and can impact their health, bills, and taxes

Connecting students interested in pursuing sustainability careers with local organizations working on sustainability issues and ensuring that local organizations know about school requirements

RPCs supporting extended producer responsibility programs at the State level

RPCs bridging information gaps to the public and addressing miscommunications about new waste-related regulations

RPCs providing outreach to town administrations in support of PAYT programs as ways to meet climate change mitigation and waste reduction program goals

Having Towns provide houses with more than one recycling container

Establishing a grant program for curbside containers at MassDEP

Explore funding mechanisms that extend consumer responsibility to waste-related issues other than mattress disposal

Municipalities and the State working together to circulate the Recyclingworksma.org website

Providing promotional materials and incentives for residents to keep their own farm animals, which keeps farms local and reduces food waste

Explore opportunities to promote furniture banks and educate residents about what is junk and what is not junk

Providing multi-family households and landlords with informational materials about where to dispose of hazardous materials

Municipalities working with schools to create local promotional material, such as fun promotional vides, to engage residents regarding what is considered to be hazardous waste

Having the state create a list of hazardous waste companies that are available for smaller towns in the Central MA region

Providing more education regarding where open hazardous waste sites are located

Supporting the Paint Bill (emphasis on paint recycling)

Promoting "Keep Massachusetts Beautiful" volunteer work and having more college students volunteer in addressing the big illegal dumping issue in the region

Expanding the Bottle Bill to include nips

Promoting the reuse of containers at restaurants

Building and utilizing more anaerobic digestors

Promoting recycling materials for multi-family households

Adopting programs for different colored bags, bag tags, and/or reusable plastic containers for curbside waste pick-up

Having a greater focus on dealing with organic, school, and multi-family waste issues at a local level

Establish better collaboration between state agencies, waste haulers, regional planning commissions, and technical schools to promote proper building deconstruction and disposal of/recycling of bulky items

Establishing community trade programs outside of technical schools to further train people in waste management careers

Applying for Recycling Dividend Program grants for CMRPC region communities and hiring coordinators if they are awarded

Establishing a regional Central MA site for bulky waste, cardboard, styrofoam, and electronic devices drop-off

Having the state educate waste haulers, contractors, and architects about relevant waste bans on wood, concreate, cardboard, and other renovation materials

Creating a Zero Waste Climate Action Plan with five pages per town that is usable and is enforced by a wide variety of people with responsibilities assigned

Increasing operational hours and staffing for waste drop-off locations

Allowing out-of-town residents to use waste drop-off locations that are already established

Partnering with Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMVs) and technical schools to increase the number of people working in the waste sector with Commercial Driver's Licenses

Expand the number of take-back programs for producers

Establishing collaborations between municipalities and the State to reduce the cost of training drivers for work in the waste sector

Educating people about re-upholstering/repairing skills for appliances, electronics, and furniture to address overconsumption

Establishing service contracts in which waste haulers get paid what they need to for staffing to bridge the gap between organizations advocating for zero waste and waste haulers

Exploring how private and municipal trash collectors could use AI to remove contaminated trash bags from waste flow

Hiring additional staffing in towns and/or adding a regional recycling coordinator to address capacity issues

Installing a new incinerator in the Central Massachusetts region

Other (please specify)