is at the root of many local and global problems: pollution, dwindling supplies of energy and material resources, and climate change.
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Landfills and incinerators pollute our air, land, and water, harming public health.
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We are using, discarding, and destroying resources that are not renewable.
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Often garbage is burned or buried far from where it was generated—an unfair burden on the communities that receive it.
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Our society’s accelerated cycle of production and disposal represents the biggest sector of U.S. climate emissions. Reducing waste is one of our best opportunities to combat global warming.
have helped protect Massachusetts’s communities for decades.
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In the 1980s we helped establish the moratorium on building more incinerators in Massachusetts, and campaigned successfully to get curbside recycling in Boston.
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We organized, and now coordinate, the Massachusetts Product Stewardship Council to promote producer responsibility for reducing the volume and toxicity of product and packaging waste.
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Recently we helped residents prevent the siting of a garbage gasification facility in Athol, and assisted the South Hadley
Board of Health in documenting problems at their regional landfill.
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This year we advocated successfully with MassDEP to strengthen enforcement of waste bans at transfer stations, landfills and incinerators statewide, which will divert
This illustration, based on waste studies in Massachusetts, shows that our “garbage”(paper and cardboard, food and tons of paper, cardboard, leaves, plastic bottles, wood, cans, electronic devices, glass, plastic, and other materials to
etc.) is actually resources that were not waste until they recycling, generating new were wasted in trashcans and dumpsters.
businesses and jobs.
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We were represented on a team selected by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to develop
Zero Waste planning and assessment tools for New England municipal officials. >>>

 Working with residents of Hardwick, South Hadley, and
Southbridge to address landfill-related contamination
These three communities want to prevent or remediate pollution from regional landfills in their towns. Landfills remain a threat to public health and safety and the environment after they are closed. We help residents navigate the regulatory system, connect with the appropriate state and local authorities, and raise awareness of problems through public meetings, fact sheets, and media outreach.
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Helping municipalities statewide adopt waste reduction resolutions, ordinances and by-laws
New England cities and towns are taking steps to reduce disposal costs and the impacts of wasting by increasing reuse, repair, remanufacture, recycling and composting. These measures also generate new businesses that help build sustainable local economies. We make presentations to municipal officials, and provide case studies, model resolutions, and ordinances that are part of the Zero Waste toolkit we are developing for the U.S. Environmental Protection agency.
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Campaigning for a producer responsibility bill for electronic waste in the Massachusetts legislature
Thirty-two states have producer responsibility laws that require brand-owners to pay for the collection and reuse or recycling of certain products. We are working with legislators to relieve our municipalities of the costs of managing discarded computers and TVs. Producer responsibility laws give brand owners a financial incentive to design products that can be easily updated and safely recycled.
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Opposing the Patrick Administration’s proposal to allow construction of new incinerators
Even the most modern incinerators are polluting and inefficient sources of energy; recycling saves more energy and conserves resources for future generations. We are advocating with Massachusetts regulators and legislators to retain and strengthen the moratorium on more waste incinerators.
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Working with the Boston Recycling Coalition to increase recycling and composting
Boston has a recycling rate in the teens, and the Greater Boston area sends garbage for disposal all over Massachusetts and to six other states. We are working with Boston neighborhoods and city officials to divert discarded resources to recycling and composting, and create good “green” jobs.
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Responding to communities threatened by waste industry proposals
Whether the next waste facility is slated for your town or for a community across the state, we need your help to assist residents and to advocate with state and local officials for fair and sustainable waste policies that protect public health and the local and global environment.
is a national 501(c)(3) organization with locally staffed programs in 16 states.
Our mission is to develop strong citizen leadership that enables people to improve their lives and their communities by working together on health, environmental or consumer problems. Clean Water Fund works closely with Clean Water Action, a 501(c)(4) non-profit with over 1 million members .
For information on giving, please contact Elizabeth Saunders, CWA
Massachusetts Director at 617-338-8131, ext. 203 or
<esaunders@cleanwater.org>