Massachusetts Commercial Food Waste Ban: The Threshold Is Now 500 Pounds Per Week

Massachusetts has one of the most established and actively enforced commercial organics disposal bans in the country. The ban is implemented through 310 CMR 19.000 (Solid Waste Management Facility Regulations) and is administered by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP).

The Commercial Food Material Disposal Ban

Under the regulation, businesses and institutions generating commercial organic waste at or above the threshold cannot dispose of those materials in landfills or transfer stations. Material must be diverted to one of several approved pathways:

- Composting (on-site or off-site) - Anaerobic digestion - Dehydration - Pulping - Rendering - Animal feed recovery

Threshold History

October 1, 2014: 1 ton per week.

November 1, 2022: one-half ton (500 pounds) per week. This is the current active threshold.

Current Active Threshold: 500 Pounds per Week

The 500 pound (0.5 ton) threshold has been in effect since November 2022 and sweeps in a much broader range of generators than the original 1-ton threshold.

Covered Generators

Generators above the threshold typically include:

- Food processors and manufacturers - Wholesalers and distributors - Grocery stores - Institutional food service (hospitals, universities, large corporate cafeterias) - Large restaurants - Hotels with on-site food operations - Catering operations

Diversion Options

Generators must use one or more approved diversion options:

- Source reduction and food donation (preferred under the EPA hierarchy) - Animal feed - Composting (on-site or off-site) - Anaerobic digestion - Other approved conversion technologies

Enforcement Activity

Enforcement is active and sustained. MassDEP enforces with civil penalties for non-compliance.

RecyclingWorks Massachusetts provides compliance assistance to covered generators. Contact: 888-254-5525.

Economic Impact

A 2025 MassDEP report documented significant economic activity generated by the organics ban:

- 1,700 jobs created in the diversion sector - $143 million in labor income - $390 million in industry activity since 2014

Over 51 companies have been documented as generators above the half-ton threshold with compliance actively tracked as of 2024-2025.

Future Threshold Reductions

The 2023 Organics Action Plan discussed potential further reductions of the threshold below 500 pounds per week. As of June 2026, no further reduction has been formally enacted.

Penalties

Civil penalties under 310 CMR 19.000.

How ICTV Helps

For multi-site operations with Massachusetts locations, ICTV provides organics diversion programs that meet the 500-pound threshold and produce documentation suitable for MassDEP compliance records. Programs are coordinated across all sites in the portfolio with consolidated reporting at the corporate level.