Program Details
Connecticut is Facing a Trash Crisis
Waste disposal capacity in the US is shrinking.
The New England region is expected to lose 40% of its trash disposal capacity in the next 5 years and up to 100% by 2040.
Our historic disposal facility, MIRA, in Hartford, is no longer burning trash, and the four other CT incinerators have passed their useful life.
The alternative of trucking CT trash up to 600 miles out of state is expensive and not sustainable. We need a new approach.
We Need to Reduce Waste
Food scraps make up 20% of the waste we currently throw away and can easily be converted to energy and compost right here in Connecticut.
Weekly Curbside Food Scrap Co-Collection would allow residents to recycle their food scraps with no additional transportation costs.
Removing food waste from the trash and converting those scraps into clean, renewable energy can save us money.
Bethany is Being Proactive
Bethany received a grant from DEEP to implement a Town-wide pilot program.
The pilot program will allow the Town and our residents to try the program before deciding if we want to make it permanent. The co-collection pilot program is free to residents.
All households will co-collect trash and food scraps in special color-coded trash bags provided by the city.
If the town adopts the program permanently, we could realize savings of approximately $825,000 over the first 4 years.
If we do nothing, the cost to dispose of our trash will likely double.
A permanent program has an environmental impact equal to adding a solar panel to every home in Bethany.
It Will Be Easy to Participate
Residents will receive an allotment of free colored-coded bags for the duration of the pilot:
1 green (8-gallon) food scrap bag per week for food scraps
2 orange (15-gallon) tall kitchen bags per week for non-recyclable household trash
Residents should tie and close each of the orange and green bags and place out for collection each week.
The same truck will pick up the bags and bring them to a facility so that the food scraps can be captured and converted to green energy.
Learn more at the links at the top of the page!
More Information
For more information, please contact the Town of Bethany
Bethany Town Hall is open Monday through Friday from 8:30am-4:00pm