May 25, 2023
At its 25th “Recycla-versary” on May 16th, the South Shore Recycling Cooperative honored Representative Mathew Muratore (1st Plymouth) and Senator Patrick O’Connor (1st Plymouth and Norfolk) with Environmental Hero awards. The award has been given to fifteen outstanding citizens and legislators since 2000, including now-Plymouth County Treasurer Tom O’Brien, now-Mayor Bob Hedlund of Weymouth, and Rep. Josh Cutler.
Muratore and O’Connor have both been steadfast supporters of waste reduction legislation during their tenures on Beacon Hill, most recently cosponsoring bills that shift responsibility for paying for the management of packaging, paint and mattresses from taxpayers and ratepayers to the companies that sell them. This is called product stewardship, and is the policy in many states and nations. It incentivized reduction, recyclability, and use of recycled content, to make recycling more efficient and reduce waste.
“Senator O’Connor and Rep. Muratore understand the pressures that our growing disposal needs put on our towns, taxpayers, and the environment”, said SSRC Director Claire Galkowski. “They’ve been steadfast supporters of the policy changes we need at the State level to reduce these pressures by giving brand owners some skin in the game in paying for the waste they create.”
“On behalf of the House of Representatives, I was thrilled to present South Shore Recycling Cooperative’s Executive Director, Claire Galkowski, and Chairman Kevin Cafferty with a citation recognizing 25 years of helping municipalities improve their recycling programs, educating residents, and advocating for laws and regulations that minimize waste,” said Rep. Matt Muratore. “I was surprised and honored at the same event to receive one of their Environmental Hero Awards!”
Senator O’Connor also presented a citation from the Senate.
MassDEP Commissioner Bonnie Heiple honored the event as the keynote speaker.
The South Shore Recycling Cooperative serves the solid and hazardous waste departments of eighteen South Shore municipalities stretching from Braintree to Plymouth to East Bridgewater.
The luncheon was held at the Top Shelf Bistro in the new Lovell’s Arena in Rockland. MassDEP Commissioner Bonnie Heiple was the keynote speaker at the event.
Photos here