Of the 340 pounds of garbage that JP ZeroWaste collected along a stretch of Centre Street in a recent waste audit, the organization determined more than half could’ve been recycled or composted.
That is the focus of JP ZeroWaste, a fairly-new local organization encouraging the community to reduce disposable plastic use, switch to reusable goods and adopt more sustainable practices.
“Massachusetts is running out of landfill space, so we’re shipping more away, and we’re starting to incinerate more, which creates more toxicity,” said founding member Bridget Lee.
The group recently received a grant from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) to conduct an annual waste audit, which they held on Nov. 6, by collecting that 340 pounds of garbage that accumulated in a 24-hour period along Centre Street between Pond Street and Custer Street. After weighing the trash, they organized the contents into categories, including liquid waste, plastic waste, metal, glass and food scraps.
JP ZeroWaste operates under four main initiatives, all of which contribute to the organization’s larger effort to eliminate plastic waste. These goals include actions for both local residents and restaurants. The group encourages people to bring their own reusable items, like shopping bags and coffee cups, and skip using disposable utensils for takeout.
On the restaurant side, JP ZeroWaste has two primary projects. First, the group plans to help local businesses switch to reusable dishes and cutlery for dine-in customers. Through a partnership with ReThink Disposable, a program part of the Clean Water Fund, they hope to raise money to make this change possible, as well as potentially install dishwashers for restaurants to create an easier transition.
JP ZeroWaste’s second initiative for restaurants is getting them to utilize Recirclable, a service where customers can order their takeout in reusable containers. Then, after the purchaser is finished, they can return the vessel to any participating establishment for no cost.
With these initiatives, JPZeroWaste members hope to help the environment.
According to the organization’s website, about 40% of plastics are single-use, and they do not break down quickly, taking between 100 and 1,000 years to decompose. Additionally, 80% of litter is plastic, and most of the material is made from chemicals and fossil fuels.
In 2023, Massachusetts disposed of 6,160,000 tons of waste, according to the MassDEP. Of this total, 2,990,000 tons were combusted. Most of Boston’s trash is incinerated, going to a waste-to-energy facility in Saugus.
As a physician, Lee hopes that JP ZeroWaste will educate others about plastic’s negative health impacts.
“Plastic doesn’t break down. It just breaks up,” said Lee. “It’s in every single organ of our body, and it’s now been found that it’s… worsening a lot of health effects and increasing almost any disease you could come up with.”
As a new organization, Lee has many hopes for the group’s future, including displaying signs in restaurant windows that encourage people to bring their own reusable items and hosting educational events to share their mission.
Ultimately, JP ZeroWaste hopes to achieve sustainability in the community and inspire others along the way.
“Our hope is that Jamaica Plain is a blueprint,” said Lee. “If Roslindale or Dorchester or Mattapan see us doing this, we want to be there to help the next community to do similar initiatives.”
