The Massachusetts Senate passed a major environmental bill on Wednesday by a vote of 36 to 3, which has multiple implications for waste, recycling, and packaging policies.

The bill, numbered S.3050, is a version of theMass Ready Actproposed by Governor Maura Healey in 2025. This package, totaling over $3.6 billion, will fund a wide range of environmental projects across the state, including policy adjustments targeting extended producer responsibility (EPR) and restrictions on single-use packaging.

The bill has now been sent to the state House of Representatives. The state's current two-year legislative session ends on July 31.

For years, the advancement of waste and recycling policies has been relatively slow in the state legislature, where Democrats hold a supermajority. Massachusetts lawmakers tend to favor an omnibus legislative approach rather than the more common passage of smaller, individual bills seen in other states.

The latest bill includes much of what appeared in the 2024 Senate bill (thePlastic Reduction Act), which failed to pass the House that year. That same year, a broaderclimate and energy bill was passed, which established a commission to study extended producer responsibility for multiple product categories. That commission, led by the state Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP), released itsfinal report。

in January. Environmental groups and other advocacy organizations view this environmental bond bill as one of the most promising opportunities to advance related policies during this session. Proposals such as updating the state's outdated bottle deposit law were not included in the discussion, but many other proposals have appeared in the latest bill text.

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)

The state commission hadrecommended EPR policies for batteries, paint, mattresses, and electronics. In this bill, paint is the only category included.

Paint EPR has long been supported by local officials due to the costs of managing household hazardous waste. The proposed program would cover architectural paint and aerosol coating products, aiming to provide collection points for 90% of residents within a 15-mile radius. A producer-led plan would need to be submitted to MassDEP within one year after the overall law takes effect.

Despite growing support, battery EPR was not included in the bill. The National Waste & Recycling Association (NWRA), WM, Casella Waste Systems, the Massachusetts Municipal Association, the Massachusetts Product Stewardship Council, and others have beenadvocating for this policydue to fire hazards caused by lithium-ion batteries.

An amendment aimed at adding battery EPR provisions to the bill was introduced but later withdrawn for unspecified reasons. Another amendment requiring MassDEP to develop a statewide management plan for solar panels and battery end-of-life was also withdrawn.

The Senate bill also does not address packaging EPR.

The EPR commission's final report deferred recommendations on packaging, instead suggesting a needs assessment. At the time, commission members said this assessment would require legislative funding to be feasible. An amendment proposed$1.2 million in funding for such an assessment, explicitly citing the EPR commission's work, but it was rejected along with a batch of other amendments.

Plastic Policy

Despite no progress on packaging EPR, the Senate bill still has many impacts on packaging products, including bans and restrictions on certain categories by reviving provisions from the 2024 Plastic Reduction Act.

The current bill would ban single-use plastic carryout bags. According to MassPirg, the statealready has 163 towns with bag policies, covering about 70% of the population. The bill would also standardize such policies statewide.

Retailers would be required to charge at least 10 cents for providing paper bags (which must contain at least 50% post-consumer recycled content) or reusable bags (which must not be made of plastic). Five cents per bag would go to the retailer, and the remainder would go into a Plastic Environmental Protection Fund managed by MassDEP.

An effort by the Senate's minority Republicans to reduce the paper bag fee was unsuccessful.

The bill would also require retailers to provide food service utensils only upon customer request. Anapproved amendmentspecifies that these materials must not contain black plastic unless used for "prepared food packaged outside the state."

Anotherapproved amendmentamendment would direct MassDEP to study the feasibility of banning "foam and solid polystyrene," including studying the health impacts of the material. The agency would need to submit this study by the end of June 2027. Another amendment wouldban hotelsfrom providing personal care products in plastic containers of 9 ounces or less.

The bill directs MassDEP to develop regulations for all these packaging policy changes.

The bill would also prohibit state agencies from purchasing single-use plastic water bottles of 21 ounces or less and require the establishment of a statewide bulk plastic recycling program to manage child car seats.

Meanwhile, an amendment to ban the sale of plastic "nip" liquor bottles was withdrawn, and another amendment restricting PFAS use in food packaging was rejected.

Solid Waste Policy

The bill still includes the $28 million in MassDEP solid waste program funding requested by the governor. This funding could be used to manage pollution at existing or closed solid waste facilities, as well as for "capital expenditures related to composting, recycling, and waste reduction programs, consistent with the statewide comprehensive solid waste master plan."

Additionally, an approved amendment would direct a grant to the city of Boston for an independent environmental study of impacts within a one-mile radius of a selected waste transfer station. This would include soil and water testing for multiple pollutants, including PFAS, as well as "a review of cumulative environmental impacts on surrounding communities." The listed address is a site owned by Republic Services.

The Senate's new language would also require the agency to publish a progress report on its 2023 Organics Action Plan. This is part of the agency's broader goal to reduce organic waste disposal by 2030. To date, the agency has developed regulations requiring certain commercial generators to divert waste and is currently considering afuture residential policy。

The required report would cover "any recommended legislative changes or resource needs to increase food and organic waste composting rates and reduce contamination of waste and recycling streams by compostable materials."