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Addressing the 'waste crisis': Possible solutions and regional trends

Cody Talento, who works for the city of Meriden, separates bags of trash from bags of food scraps at HQ Dumpsters and Recycling in Southington. The food waste will be taken to an anaerobic digester to be turned into electrical energy and compost. About 1,000 households in the town of Meriden are participating in a municipal food recycling pilot program. Experts and advocates say that separating out food will save money and help protect the environment.
Ryan Caron King
/
Connecticut Public
Cody Talento, who works for the city of Meriden, separates bags of trash from bags of food scraps at HQ Dumpsters and Recycling in Southington. The food waste will be taken to an anaerobic digester to be turned into electrical energy and compost. About 1,000 households in the town of Meriden are participating in a municipal food recycling pilot program. Experts and advocates say that separating out food will save money and help protect the environment.

Connecticut’s waste management crisis is already a top-ticket item for lawmakers. Before the latest legislative session began, newly-appointed Environmental Committee Chair State Sen. Rick Lopes told the CT Examiner he was focused on finding solutions.

The State Dept. of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) has been sounding the alarm since 2020, when Commissioner Katie Dykes said the dwindling options for waste disposal posed a “silent crisis.”

In July of last year, one of five of the state’s waste-to-energy plants ground to a halt, offloading up to one-third of Connecticut's waste out-of-state.

In recent years, DEEP has offered grants to support pay-as-you-throw programs and food collection services, hoping to help towns and cities stem the tide of trash. Food scrap collection is already bring offered in Middletown, Meriden and West Haven.

This hour, we hear from Waste Dive editor Cole Rosengren, as well as the recycling director for the nearby Cambridge, Massachusetts, where citywide food waste collection is now a mainstay. Plus, Alaina Wood is a climate communicator who goes by The Garbage Queen. She takes your questions.

GUESTS:

  • Cole Rosengren: Lead Editor, Waste Dive
  • Mike Orr: Recycling Director, Dept. of Public Works for Cambridge, Massachusetts
  • Alaina Wood: Climate Communicator AKA The Garbage Queen

Cat Pastor contributed to this episode which originally aired January 20, 2023.

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Katie is a producer for Connecticut Public Radio's news-talk show 'Where We Live.' She has previously worked for CNN and News 8-WTNH.
Patrick Skahill is a reporter and digital editor at Connecticut Public. Prior to becoming a reporter, he was the founding producer of Connecticut Public Radio's The Colin McEnroe Show, which began in 2009. Patrick's reporting has appeared on NPR's Morning Edition, Here & Now, and All Things Considered. He has also reported for the Marketplace Morning Report. He can be reached at pskahill@ctpublic.org.