Page 8 THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, JULY 25, 2025 Local municipal officials join statewide push urging Gov. Healey to support keeping food waste out of trash City offi cials from Everett, Malden, Revere & Saugus join group from 13 other communities calling for increased, consistent composting The following is from info provided by the Clean Water Fund (www.cleanwater.org). W hile residents across the Commonwealth have just experienced a record-breaking heatwave in some areas, municipal offi cials are acting on a less-often-discussed contributor to the climate crisis: food waste. Fifty-one municipal offi cials from 17 cities and towns across Massachusetts made that connection and urged the state to take action in a letter delivered this week to Governor Maura Healey and Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) Commissioner Bonnie Heiple. Included were a number of local city and town offi cials, including Revere offi cials; Juan Pablo Jaramillo, Councilor At Large, Angela GuarinoSawaya, City Councilor Ward 5, Marc Silvestri, City Council President, Ira Novoselsky, City Councilor Ward 2, Michelle Kelley, City Councilor At-Large, and Robert Haas III, City Councilor At-Large, Everett City Experts say that discarded food waste accounts for up to 25% of the total waste stream in Massachusetts landfi lls (shown above). Local municipal offi cials are calling on Gov. Maura Healey to support responses to address the situation. (Courtesy Photo) Council President Stephanie Martins, Malden Councillorat-Large Carey McDonald, and Saugus Board of Selectmen Chair Debra Panetta. While landfi ll space in Massachusetts is rapidly fi lling up, food waste decomposing in landfi lls produces methane, a potent greenhouse gas. And according to EPA data, landfi lls are one of the largest sources of methane emissions in the Bay State. MassDEP estimates that food waste accounts for more than 25 percent of the waste stream after recycling, or over one million tons per year. “We ask the State to put in place concrete plans, funding and technical assistance to increase composting infrastructure, working in partnership with communities like ours to divert food waste and minimize the climate impact of discarded food. An expansion of sustainable waste management practices will benefi t our residents and our economy. Communities like ours are ready to partner with the state to expand composting in MA,” states the letter. The 51 signers represent the following 17 communities: Everett, Malden, Revere, Saugus, Agawam, Greenfi eld, New Bedford, Worcester, Boston, Lawrence, Newton, Somerville, Chelsea, Lynn, Northampton, Taunton and Waltham. “Municipalities across the state are leading by building waste diversion programs that address the climate crisis effects of landfi lling food waste. We need the resources to build out these programs into comprehensive municipal services that make it easier and aff ordable for working class communities and their residents to partake in reducing methane emissions and meeting out the Commonwealth’s emissions goals,” said Revere Councillorat-Large Juan Pablo Jaramillo. “Methane poses signifi cant health and environmental risks and is the second largest contributor to climate change which disproportionately affects our most vulnerable communities,” said Clean Water Action Zero Waste Organizer Amber Schmidt, who helped coordinate the letter. “Diverting organic waste from landfi lls will prevent the unnecessary release of methane while providing numerous benefi ts such as compost for healthy soil and new green jobs.” Massachusetts currently generates over six million tons of waste per year, with a growing percentage exported to other states. In 2024, Clean Water Action and MASSPIRG launched a campaign called Plate to Planet with a goal of reducing food waste and diverting all organics from disposal. To reach the goals in its 2030 Solid Waste Master Plan, the state must more than double its rate of food diversion from landfi lls and incinerators. Since the organization’s founding during the campaign to pass the landmark Clean Water Act in 1972, Clean Water Action has worked to win strong health and environmental protections by bringing issue expertise, solution-oriented thinking, and people power to the table. Following is the text of the letter sent to Governor Healey: The Honorable Maura Healey Massachusetts State House 24 Beacon Street Boston, MA 02133 Dear Governor Healey, We, the undersigned officials from various municipalities across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, write to you today with a pressing concern and an urgent call to action. As stewards of our communities and the environment, we are interested in expanding our eff orts to divert food waste from landfi lls, but we lack the infrastructure and funding to develop comprehensive local or regional systems for the collection and processing of food waste into valuable resources. With the Commonwealth of Massachusetts support, we could expand our composting eff orts. We ask the State to put in place concrete plans, funding and technical assistance to increase composting infrastructure, working in partnership with communities like ours to divert food waste and minimize the climate impact of discarded food. An expansion of sustainable waste management practices will benefi t our residents and our economy. Communities like ours are ready to partner with the state to expand composting in MA. • Now is the time for Massachusetts to accelerate progress, as we must more than double our rate of organic
9 Publizr Home