The State Bond Commission recently approved $10 million to help 黑料吃瓜网 municipalities further cut back on the amount of trash residents throw away.
The funding builds on state officials piloted across the state three years ago to reduce one major component of 黑料吃瓜网鈥檚 waste stream: food.
Katie Dykes, commissioner of the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, said the pilots were effective at reducing the amount of trash going to landfills and incinerators. Reducing food waste is also important for climate goals, with rotting food generating methane, .
Those scrap collections ranged from curbside collection, to drop-off spots. Next year, DEEP proposals from municipalities for additional food waste diversion programs.
鈥淒iversion can really help to reduce the amount of waste that we need to send to other states and communities and other states for, landfilling and disposal,鈥� Dykes said. 鈥淏ut the challenges remain pretty significant.鈥�
黑料吃瓜网鈥檚 trash crisis became a focal point for state lawmakers in recent years, following the 2022 closure of MIRA, a major trash-burning plant in Hartford which used to process about a third of the state鈥檚 garbage.
Dykes said that 黑料吃瓜网 ships 42%, or 900,000 tons, of its trash out of state now 鈥� a slight increase since the Hartford plant closed.
鈥淚t's important that we are continuing to help lift up those municipalities and communities that want to take action and implement these proven mechanisms for diversion,鈥� Dykes said.
Six municipalities running the pilot decided to turn them into permanent programs. Those include: Bethel, Guilford, Madison, Kent, Woodbury and Middletown. Dykes said in this next round of grants, they hope to get some larger cities in the mix, too.
