Southbury Awarded $157K State Grant To Support Food Scraps Recycling And Waste Reduction

SOUTHBURY, CT — Southbury is among 18 Connecticut municipalities and regional organizations receiving a share of $7.5 million in state grants to support sustainable waste reduction programs, Governor Ned Lamont and the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection announced Tuesday.

Southbury will receive $157,160 to develop a transfer station-based unit-based pricing system and food scraps recycling program. The funding comes through the second round of DEEP’s Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) Grant Program, which aims to help towns reduce solid waste disposal costs and expand recycling initiatives.

“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,” Lamont said in a statement. “The smart and sustainable programs these grants will support give residents and municipalities more control over their disposal costs.”

DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes said the program helps towns and regional entities implement waste management systems tailored to their specific needs. “We are excited to continue making significant investments in our municipal and regional partners who are at the forefront of the waste disposal crisis,” Dykes said.

The SMM program was launched to help towns cope with Connecticut’s growing waste management challenges, intensified by the 2022 closure of the Materials Innovation and Recycling Authority (MIRA) facility in Hartford. The closure left municipalities with fewer in-state disposal options, forcing many to ship waste to out-of-state landfills at higher costs.

Under the grant program, municipalities and regional groups can apply for state funding to implement waste diversion and reduction strategies such as unit-based pricing, composting facilities, curbside food scrap collection, and technical support for regional waste authorities.

In this second funding round, awards were distributed to towns and organizations across the state, including Bethel, Newtown, Ridgefield, Kent, Litchfield, and Sharon/Salisbury, through regional collaborations such as the Housatonic Resources Recovery Authority (HRRA), which received $1.5 million.

According to DEEP, the first round of the SMM program diverted more than 1,000 tons of waste from disposal, producing measurable savings for participating towns. Officials said the program is helping communities move away from outdated waste management systems toward more sustainable, cost-effective models.

“These grant awards continue the forward progress in the development of a more sustainable and cost-effective waste management system in Connecticut,” said State Senator Rick Lopes (D-New Britain), co-chair of the legislature’s Environment Committee.

Southbury’s grant will support a broader statewide goal of restoring Connecticut’s self-sufficiency in waste management, reducing reliance on out-of-state landfills, and providing long-term stability in waste disposal fees.