By Ms. Creem, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 554) of Cynthia Stone Creem for legislation to establish the Sustainable Food Service Ware Act. Environment and Natural Resources.
By Representative Thurber of Somerset, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3574) of Justin Thurber for legislation to further regulate the carbon dioxide cap and trade program. Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy.
By Representative Ciccolo of Lexington, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3463) of Michelle L. Ciccolo for legislation to restore the clean environmental fund using revenue from unclaimed bottle deposits. Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy.
By Representative Sweezey of Duxbury, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3573) of Kenneth P. Sweezey for legislation to include nip bottles and certain other containers in the bottle law. Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy.
By Mr. DiDomenico, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 570) of Sal N. DiDomenico and Dylan A. Fernandes for legislation to establish a waste reduction needs assessment in the commonwealth. Environment and Natural Resources.
By Representative Rogers of Cambridge, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 457) of David M. Rogers for legislation to further regulate the packaging of consumer goods that contain deceptive or misleading claims about the recyclability of the product or packaging. Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure.
By Mr. Cyr, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 58) of Julian Cyr for legislation to promote conservation through oyster shell recycling. Agriculture.
By Mr. Kennedy, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 614) of Edward J. Kennedy and Dylan A. Fernandes for legislation to promote the future success of mattress recycling in the Commonwealth. Environment and Natural Resources.
This bill (HD 638) requires restaurants and food trucks to use compostable, recyclable, or reusable single-use food service containers starting January 1, 2027. It defines "compostable" to mean products meeting specific ASTM standards with third-party certification, "recyclable" to mean materials identifiable by resin codes in local recycling programs, and "reusable" to mean items used multiple times (like returnable glass or aluminum). The law directly affects all food establishments that prepare or package food for immediate consumption. Enforcement will be handled by the Department of Environmental Protection through regulations.
HD 1590, the CLEAN Act, increases the deposit on beverage containers from 1 cent to 3 cents. It redefines "beverage container" to exclude biodegradable materials and clarifies that a "miniature" is any container under 100ml designed for alcohol. The bill also prohibits local governments from banning miniature sales (though existing bans remain valid), affecting beverage producers, retailers, and municipal regulations. Key changes focus on container definitions, deposit amounts, and local ordinance authority.