Newtown Program Scores State Aid To Help Reduce Waste

NEWTOWN, CT — A pilot transfer station food scrap collection program, with Aerated Static Pile Composting System and serving about 4,000 Newtown households, will receive an estimated $244,300 in state grant money, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection announced Tuesday.

The money is part of $570,000 in additional Sustainable Materials Management Grant program funds meant to help municipalities reduce waste and save on solid waste disposal costs.

With the July 2022 closure of the Materials Innovation and Recycling Authority waste-to-energy facility, the state has a shortfall in disposal capacity with an estimated 40 percent of Connecticut’s waste being shipped out of state for disposal, mostly to landfills, according to a statement from DEEP. Twenty-two percent of what Connecticut residents throw away are heavy food scraps that, when diverted from the waste stream, help to reduce the costs of disposal as municipalities pay by weight. Food scraps can be recycled and converted for other uses, such as compost, energy, and animal feed.

“Food waste comprises about one fifth of the waste stream,” said State Sen. Tony Hwang, who represents Newtown in the 28th District. “Food scraps are one of the heavier materials regularly thrown away at the residential level. This program helps towns like Newtown to continue efforts to reduce waste significantly and increase recycling while ultimately reducing costs to customers.”

Hwang said that separating organic materials from the trash should be thought of as a resource, not a waste. More food reaches landfills and incinerators than any other single material in our everyday trash.

These new pilot programs will be implementing food scrap collection for residents at their town transfer stations and encouraging residents to “cut their trash in half” by trying to increase the amount of food scraps diverted to the waste stream. Residents will also be instructed to separate household food scraps and drop off at their local Transfer Station.

“This funding will help Newtown with its capital needs and help put our program on a path to long-term sustainability,” said Newtown Public Works Director Fred Hurley. “It will also help us in raising public awareness throughout the town on the benefits and importance of diverting food scraps from the waste stream.”

The SMM Grant Program pilot communities have seen success over the last several months, according to DEEP. The Woodbury and Deep River Transfer Station programs are capturing an estimated 35 percent of the available food scraps from the waste stream. Current SMM Grant pilot program participant Deep River has collected more than 45 percent of available food scraps from residents at their transfer station over the last 12 weeks, diverting this material to be processed at the Quantum Biopower anaerobic digestion facility in Southington, which converts food scraps to renewable energy (biogas) and compost amendment.

“Food scrap diversion is a simple and proven-effective method of reducing the amount of solid waste that ends up being shipped out of state and often ends up in landfills,” DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes said. “These SMM pilot programs provide municipalities with the tools to explore options that can help them reduce their waste disposal costs and insulate their residents from steadily rising tip fees.”