Insights and Updates

Keep Massachusetts Beautiful interviewed Chair of the Massachusetts Product Stewardship Council, Waneta Trabert, about Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). Watch a YouTube to learn more about EPR.

MassRecycle pushes back on narrative of recycling as ‘a hoax,’ touts education efforts at the 2023 MassRecycle Conference. In the wake of critical reports from advocacy groups and negative media coverage, the state’s public and private and sector recyclers are pushing back.

MassRecycle is deeply concerned that NPR’s “Recycling plastic is practically impossible — and the problem is getting worse” has maligned recycling and misinformed readers.  Far from addressing the problem of plastic waste, this kind of negative press motivates people to “throw it all in the trash”. Recycling is not a sham. Please do not throw everything in the trash.  

Gretchen Carey, MassRecycle President was recently interviewed by WBUR about new opportunities to keep plastic beer toppers out of the waste stream.

MassRecycle Vice President Waneta Trabert, Sustainable Materials Management Director for the City of Newton, was interviewed on by Boston 25 News regarding Extended Producer Responsibility laws proposed in Massachusetts.

Huge collaborative effort to recycle plastic can carriers.

In MA, bags do not belong in the bin, but there is a system for recycling them.  Gretchen and Waneta learn all about how plastic bags can find a second life as composite lumber during this interview with Stephanie Hicks from Trex.com Wondering if your local grocery store is really collecting for recycling? Tune in- there is a list available to the public!

Attendees had a blast on Thursday, March 18th, when MassRecycle hosted a free webinar on the history of MassRecycle! Three past presidents of MassRecycle offer their wisdom and amazing stories about how recycling got started in Massachusetts, and where we can go from here. There were many memories and tons of laughs shared. MassRecycle and attendees want to thank our speakers! Pat Scanlon, Principal, Scanlon Associates Ben Harvey, President, [...]

This historic alliance commits to reducing food waste from manufacturing and the supply chain and repurposing any unavoidable waste into renewable energy.

Abbey Massaro, an Environmental Specialist for the Center for EcoTechnology and one of MassRecycle's newest Board Member, got a special thank you shout out from Home City Development!

Mike Cicale, newest MassRecycle Board Member coins new term, "Corona-Recycling." 

MassRecycle President, Gretchen Carey, talks about Water Conservation for BNews' Green Corner. 

MassRecycle's Board Member, Mike Orr, Cambridge's Recycling Director, talked to the Boston Globe's Amy Sutherland for a March 27th article on recycling. 

MassRecycle is excited to be celebrating our 30th year as the only statewide non-pro­fit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to increasing waste diversion and recycling in Massachusetts. Our organization understands that in order to bring lasting environmental change, we must assemble a broad coalition of stakeholders to tackle this intractable problem together. Currently, over 2,000 businesses and 14,000 jobs in Massachusetts are driven by recycling.  MassRecycle believes that convening stakeholders to develop [...]

MassRecycle’s Board Member, Debra Darby, an Organics Recycling Consultant, will be presenting on “PFAS in Compost – A Perspective” at the Northeast Recycling Council (NERC) Fall Conference, October 29-30, 2019 in Providence, RI.

In September, MassRecycle will be holding our member voting on Board of Director renewals. In order to vote on the Board of Directors, one needs to be a MassRecycle member in good standing by midnight of September 8th.