West Hartford Food Scrap Program On Hold ... For Now

WEST HARTFORD, CT — A pilot program to collect food waste for sustainable processing is now over in West Hartford, but it might return sometime next year.

West Hartford Public Works Director John Phillips said the last day for voluntary food waste collection in the test neighborhood, the Morley area, ended on Monday, Aug. 19.

While it means food scraps in that neighborhood will no longer be collected, Phillips said the town was able to garner enough data to merit the program's return townwide next year.

"As a result, we will soon be issuing a request for proposals (RFP) to explore options for a voluntary town-wide food scrap diversion program in mid-2025," Phillips wrote in an announcement.

"This new program will allow residents to continue or start participating in this important initiative."

Approved in early 2023, the program, included about 700 households that separated food waste from their trash, just like they do for recyclables.

Each participating household received special curbside food waste bags that were sent to Southington-based Quantum Biopower, for conversion into clean energy and/or fertilizing compost.

Phillips said the success of the pilot program provided "valuable insights at a critical time when Connecticut faces a waste crisis, with 40 percent of its waste being trucked as far away as Virginia and Pennsylvania."

Cutting down on waste is the goal of such programs and disposing of it sustainably is seen as critical.

Phillips said, "an impressive 160,000 pounds of food scraps were diverted from the waste stream from pilot participants."

Phillips thanked the residents who participated in the experimental program.

"Your efforts have significantly impacted our community’s environmental footprint and paved the way for future sustainable initiatives," he said.

From Jan. 24, 2023: 'Don't Clean Your Plates In West Hartford? Don't Fret'