Senator Norm Needleman (D-Essex) today welcomed a total of nearly $200,000 in state grants to support waste reduction in the towns of Haddam and Old Saybrook.
The grants, awarded through the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s Sustainable Materials Management program, include $21,940 for Haddam to support the deployment of satellite food scrap collection units and $172,018 for Old Saybrook to support the development of a transfer station-based and unit-based pricing system and food scraps recycling program.
“As both a state senator and a local official, I know firsthand how challenging waste management has become for Connecticut towns,” Senator Needleman said. “These grants give Haddam and Old Saybrook tools to tackle rising disposal costs while keeping waste decisions local. Food scrap recycling and unit-based pricing work because they reduce what goes to the landfill and give residents more control over their costs.”
“With these grants, we’re continuing to support municipalities in their efforts to identify solutions to rising waste disposal costs that work for their communities,” Governor Ned Lamont said in announcing the grants today. “The smart and sustainable programs these grants will support give residents and municipalities more control over their disposal costs.”
Connecticut is facing a growing waste crisis. With the closure of the Materials Innovation and Recycling Authority (MIRA) in Hartford, municipalities have fewer disposal options located within Connecticut’s borders, causing communities to rely increasingly on trucking waste to landfills in other states.
Restoring Connecticut’s self-sufficiency in waste management is critical for a reliable waste system and long-term stability in tipping fees. Many municipalities and regional organizations are taking positive steps to increase diversion and invest in waste management infrastructure, and DEEP has been supporting those efforts through multiple grant opportunities, including the first round of the SMM program and the Materials Management Infrastructure grant program.
The SMM grant program helps municipalities and regional entities respond to this crisis by providing funds to develop and implement a wide variety of waste diversion and reduction programs and initiatives.
These programs and initiatives include unit-based pricing systems operated at municipal transfer stations; decentralized food scrap collection units; technical assistance for the startup of an aerated static pile composting facility; curbside food scraps collection; regional composting enhancements paired with an in-vessel composter installation; technical support for the expansion of a regional waste authority’s operations; and a major urban initiative to launch curbside co-collection of municipal solid waste and food scraps within a unit-based pricing system.
The first round of the SMM grant program resulted in more than 1,000 tons of waste diverted across participating municipalities.
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