Revised Draft Solid Waste Master Plan

Notice of Supplemental Public Comment Period on a
Revision to the Draft Solid Waste Master Plan

MassDEP is seeking public comment on one substantive change to its Solid Waste Master Plan that has been modified since the 2010 Draft, and is described below. The Draft Solid Waste Master Plan was originally published for public comment in June 2010. The Revised Draft Plan and Appendices are available for review on the MassDEP web site at http://www.mass.gov/dep/recycle/priorities/dswmpu01.htm. Following completion of this comment period, MassDEP will publish a Final Plan, along with a Final Response to Comments Document. The Response to Comments will summarize and address comments already received on the 2010 Draft Plan and those received in this comment period on the moratorium section of the Revised Draft Plan. The Revised Draft Plan includes a number of important updates which reflect the direction proposed in the 2010 Draft and demonstrate progress on key waste reduction initiatives, including:

• Promulgation of changes to solid waste siting and wastewater regulations to encourage the growth and sound oversight of anaerobic digestion, composting, and recycling capacity.
• Dedication of an additional $4 million (from Alternative Compliance Payments made by investor-owned Massachusetts utilities to satisfy their renewable energy requirements) to support the development of anaerobic digestion capacity in Massachusetts.
• Establishment of a comprehensive Organics Action Plan to achieve the Master Plan goal for organics diversion.
• Establishment of the "RecyclingWorks in Massachusetts" program, a statewide program to help businesses and institutions increase recycling and composting and reduce waste.
• Provision of $3.5 million of grants and assistance to support municipal recycling programs since 2010 through funding from municipal waste combustor "waste to energy credits" which are required to devote 50% of the value of these credits to recycling programs approved by MassDEP.
• Updated data and capacity projections (see Appendix A)
  

The change in the Revised Draft Plan, for which MassDEP now seeks comment, is a limited modification of the municipal solid waste combustion moratorium, which is described on pages 46-47 of the Revised Draft Plan. MassDEP proposes to modify the moratorium on municipal solid waste combustion to encourage innovative and alternative technologies (e.g., gasification or pyrolysis) for converting municipal solid waste to energy or fuel on a limited basis. The moratorium will remain in place for new capacity for traditional combustion of municipal solid waste. Total additional capacity for gasification or pyrolysis of municipal solid waste will be limited statewide to 350,000 tons per year. This limit is set at 1/2 of the projected in-state capacity shortfall of approximately 700,000 tons if our disposal reduction goals are met, ensuring that we do not overbuild long-term capacity. Proposed projects will have to meet stringent recycling, emissions and energy efficiency standards.  New facilities will be subject to the same site assignment rules as other facilities.

Please note that comments received previously on other aspects of the Draft Master Plan do not need to be resubmitted, and MassDEP is not reopening those other parts of the Draft Plan for comment. As noted above, MassDEP has received and considered numerous comments and will address them in the Final Response to Comments Document that will be issued with the Final Plan.

MassDEP will accept comments only on the proposed change to the moratorium in the Revised Draft Plan until 5:00 p.m. on February 15, 2013. Comments should be sent to: John Fischer at MassDEP via email at dep.swm@state.ma.us or by mail to John Fischer, MassDEP, One Winter Street, Boston, MA 02108.