Middlebury Food Scrap Pilot Program Receives State Grant

MIDDLEBURY, CT — Middlebury's food scrap pilot program is getting a boost via a state grant. It is one of four municipalities in the state to receive a total of $570,000 in funds through the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection's (DEEP) Sustainable Materials Management program.

Middlebury will receive $115,000 for transfer station food scrap collection for about 1,500 households.

Bethel, Bethlehem, and Kent will also be joining 15 other municipalities involved. The pilot programs collect residential food scraps and reduce waste disposal by half.

According to a DEEP statement: "With the July 2022 closure of the Materials Innovation and Recycling Authority (MIRA) waste-to-energy facility, the state has a shortfall in disposal capacity with an estimated 40% of Connecticut’s waste being shipped out of state for disposal, mostly to landfills. Twenty-two percent of what we throw away are heavy food scraps that, when diverted from the waste stream, help to reduce the costs of disposal as municipalities pay by weight. Food scraps can be recycled and converted for other uses, such as compost, energy, and animal feed. Accelerating food scrap diversion is a key element of Gov. Lamont’s strategy to return Connecticut to self-sufficiency in managing its waste disposal, and in his proposed bill, HB 6664."

The pilot programs have seen success in the last several months. The Woodbury and Deep River Transfer Station programs are capturing an estimated 35% of the available food scraps from the waste stream.

“Food scrap diversion is a simple and proven-effective method of reducing the amount of solid waste that ends up being shipped out of state and often ends up in landfills,” DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes said in a statement. “These SMM pilot programs provide municipalities with the tools to explore options that can help them reduce their waste disposal costs and insulate their residents from steadily rising tip fees.”