Massachusetts Beautification Bulletin | June 2023
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While the unofficial start of summer has arrived, our spring cleanup season is still going strong. Scroll down for information on ways to reduce waste, make our schools more sustainable, and how to apply for a Plant Something Bee-eautiful grant.
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EPR Legislation Could Reduce Waste & Improve Recycling in Massachusetts
Have you ever looked at a product that comes with excessive packaging and said to yourself, "there ought to be a law against this"? If so, you may be interested to learn more about Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) legislation.
EPR is a waste reduction approach that seeks to hold companies responsible for the environmental impacts of their products. The goal is to shift the financial burden of disposal back on to the companies that profit from selling these products, rather than having consumers, taxpayers, and municipalities shoulder all the costs.
Successful EPR programs for paint, mattresses, consumer packaging, and other products are already in place in several states. In Massachusetts, several EPR bills have been proposed, including one that would create a takeback program for paint.
In this 30-minute discussion Waneta Trabert, chair of MassRecycle’s Product Stewardship Council, talks about the promise that EPR laws have to reduce waste and improve the recyclability of many products, while also reducing the huge costs that Massachusetts communities are paying for trash disposal and recycling.
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A prime example of unnecessary consumer packaging!
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Did You Know?
More than 28% of all U.S. trash is packaging, amounting to 82 million tons of material that is typically thrown out after a product is purchased or used*.
Source: Environmental Protection Agency, Advancing Sustainable Materials Management: 2018 Fact Sheet, December 2020.
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Thank You For Supporting Our Earth Day Fundraiser!
While we fell short of achieving our goal of raising $5,000 in Earth Day donations, we appreciate the donations we did receive, as well as the thousands of volunteers across the state who donated their time by participating in a local Great Massachusetts Cleanup event.
p.s., if you’d still like to make a donation, we won’t turn you away!
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Green SWoRD Aims to Make Massachusetts Schools More Sustainable
If you’re familiar with the Crosby Stills Nash & Young song “Teach Your Children Well,” you would probably agree that if we’re serious about making our schools operate in a more eco-friendly way, those solutions must involve the students.
To this end, Municipal Assistance Coordinators Gail Sowerder Garron and Julia Greene of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) launched a statewide School Waste Reduction and Diversion working group (Green SWoRD) in November of 2021.
This initiative features a website with links to a multitude of resources, as well as a series of Zoom-based discussions that focus on waste reduction and diversion in K-12 schools. During these Zoom calls, experts share their knowledge and experiences so that others can learn from their peers and duplicate successful programs in their own school districts.
There are four subcommittees that focus on the following goals:
• Institutionalizing school waste reduction & diversion policies
• School organics collection for on-site & off-site composting
• Transitioning from single-use disposable food service ware to reusable service ware
• School sustainability program kickoff & events (Earth Day, America Recycles Day, Green Week, Locker/Desk Cleanout)
To learn more or get actively involved in this working group, please email Gail Sowerder Garron at gbernard@beverlyma.gov.
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Avoid ticks and mosquitoes
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Avoid Ticks and Mosquitoes with Ranger Ready Products
Ranger Ready Repellents recently donated supplies of its DEET-free insect repellents to Keep Massachusetts Beautiful to help protect volunteers from ticks and mosquitoes.
Ranger Ready offers safe, effective repellents that are EPA registered and proven to work. All of Ranger Ready’s products are made in the U.S.A. using recyclable packaging.
You can use discount code KMB10 at checkout to save 10% off your order. In addition, 10% of your sale will be donated to Keep Massachusetts Beautiful!
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Spring Cleanup Season is Still Going Strong!
We are still collecting data on cleanup results, but it’s safe to say at this time that thousands of volunteers collectively removed hundreds of tons of litter and debris from the Massachusetts landscape so far. Here are just a few highlights:
- Stoneham, April 22, 145 volunteers and 2,000 pounds of litter and debris
- Mansfield, April 29: 741 volunteers and 2,350 pounds of litter and debris
- Brewster, April 29: 277 volunteers and 1, 560 pounds of trash and debris
- Worcester (various dates in March and April): 1,468 volunteers and 26 tons of litter and debris
- Melrose, May 27: 300 volunteers and 1,120 pounds of litter and debris
If you lead a Keep Massachusetts Beautiful chapter or other volunteer organization and have yet to report your 2023 cleanup results to us, please submit your data by June 30. It only takes a few minutes! This information arms us with the data we need to show our government leaders the magnitude of the litter problem here in Massachusetts and to advocate for common-sense solutions.
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A beautiful pollinator at work
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Plant Something Bee-autiful Grant Applications Due ByJuly 31
The deadline for our annual Plant Something Bee-eautiful grants is July 31. This program supports the planting of pollinator-friendly plants and trees in public spaces.
Thanks to generous support from our sponsor Noble Oak Whiskey, we will be able to award eight grants as follows:
- Three $2,500 grants are reserved exclusively for communities that support a certified local Keep Massachusetts Beautiful chapter
- Five $500 grants are available to communities with a KMB chapter, as well as other nonprofit entities
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Volunteers from Perch in Boston
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KMB Corporate Business Partners Pitch In
- BWT Pharma and Biotech: March 29, at the Grove Conservation property in Marlborough
- Catalent Pharma Solutions: April 14, at Mary O’Malley State Park in Chelsea
- Foundation Medicine: April 21, in East Cambridge
- Samsonite: April 25, along Route 140 in Mansfield
- Perch: April 28, in Boston’s South End
- Wolters Kluwer: April 26, along the Riverwalk in Waltham
- Samuels & Associates: May 15, along the Riverway in Boston’s Fenway
- Intersystems: May 17, along the Charles River and Kendall Square in Cambridge
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Enviro-Newsworthy Developments...
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Thank you for reading our newsletter and please contact me if I can answer any questions you may have about our programs, launching a local KMB chapter in your community, or sponsorship opportunities.
Sincerely,
Neil Rhein, Founder & Executive Director
Keep Massachusetts Beautiful
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