A recent article from Business West spotlights several businesses in Western Massachusetts that are using various strategies to tackle unnecessary waste. As the article demonstrates, there are often many opportunities for businesses to make small operational and purchasing changes that prioritize reuse, recycling, and food waste diversion. Monsoon Roastery, a coffee roastery in Springfield,…
Raytheon is a technology company headquartered in Waltham that specializes in solutions for cybersecurity, defense, and civil government. The company is striving to achieve a 90% diversion rate and TRUE Zero Waste certification at their sites across the country, including a manufacturing facility in Tewksbury. This effort involves taking a closer look at opportunities to…
According to the US EPA, nearly 30% of all solid waste is comprised of containers and product packaging. Despite significant progress in Massachusetts, over 600,000 tons of plastic was disposed of in 2018, including single use items, rigid plastics, and film plastics. In an effort to achieve statewide waste reduction goals, MassDEP aims to reduce…
Lawrence General Hospital is a private hospital providing services to nearly 325,000 patients annually. The 500,000 square foot facility employs 1,900 staff members and houses 186 beds, as well as a full-service cafeteria that provides meals for patients, visitors, and staff. The hospital engaged with RecyclingWorks in Massachusetts (RecyclingWorks) in early 2019 for assistance in…
River Valley Co-op is a 17,000 square foot community-owned food cooperative in Northampton. In addition to traditional grocery items, the co-op has a prepared foods section, a self-service hot bar, and an extensive bulk section. Since their opening in 2008, River Valley Co-op has implemented a variety of waste diversion programs, including comprehensive recycling and…
The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) has released the Draft 2020-2030 Solid Waste Master Plan. The plan proposes aggressive goals for waste reduction, building on the 18 percent reduction in disposal per capita achieved from 2008 to 2018. MassDEP has developed and implemented extensive programs since releasing the previous Solid Waste Master Plan in…
When your workplace hosts an event, the waste needs may be different from your day-to-day operations. With some planning, you can reduce waste and ensure that materials from your event are recycled. Events are also a good opportunity to collect food scraps for composting if your business does not do so already. RecyclingWorks in Massachusetts…
Each year, RecyclingWorks in Massachusetts (RecyclingWorks) produces a year-end report, summarizing the program’s work to provide waste diversion assistance for the commercial and institutional sectors through a robust suite of services. During the last fiscal year, RecyclingWorks assisted over 1,600 businesses, diverting more than 3,400 tons of material from disposal. This contributes to an overall…
The City of Boston announced the release of its first zero waste plan in June, 2019 as reported by Recycling Today. This plan recommends over two dozen short-term and long-term strategies to reduce waste in multiple sectors of the city. Boston’s Zero Waste Advisory Committee included representatives from local institutions, businesses, and industry associations. The…
The Vineyard Gazette recently published an article detailing an in-vessel compost project on Martha’s Vineyard. The new equipment will help the non-profit Island Grown Initiative (IGI) achieve its mission to reduce and redirect food waste on the Vineyard. Because of the limited disposal capacity on the Island, waste is regularly shipped back to mainland Massachusetts,…
