Food waste is a fact of life. Also a fact is that it’s smelly, wet and heavy. It makes a mess out of the rest of the trash and is generally nasty.
Getting food waste out of the trash may also provide the key to how Connecticut repairs the dated, expensive, fragmented and environmentally fraught waste systems in the state. But the question is whether it makes more sense to get the food out of the waste stream first or whether other parts of the system get fixed first so the food part follows.
It’s a chicken-egg problem, and which comes first isn’t clear. What is clear, officials say, is that food waste cannot be ignored any longer.
Dec 17, 2020
The Materials Innovation and Recycling Authority (MIRA) in Hartford, CT is planning to close its incinerator by July 2022. Every year the State of Connecticut throws away approximately half a million tons of food. What will happen to the trash that is incinerated every year?
One solution could be that residents recycle leftover food. The State of Connecticut has a law that says food needs to be recycled – however, at this time it only applies to large commercial producers in certain locations.
Seventy-four towns have joined the Connecticut Coalition for Sustainable Materials Management, which could have an impact on diverting residential food waste. When this group was surveyed earlier this year, they said they were most interested in organic waste, which includes food scraps and yard waste. The Coalition hopes to present a number of legislative options soon.