HARTFORD, CT – Since 2013, Branford High School alumnae Etta Hanlon has run her "Holiday Recycling Program," which aims to recycle wrapping paper, cardboard and other waste materials generated by the holiday season. Today Senator Ted Kennedy, Jr. (D-Branford) announced that because of the Holiday Recycling Program, Connecticut's Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) has awarded a $6,000 grant to the Town of Branford to further enhance the towns recycling efforts.

"Etta Hanlon is an incredible young woman, whose innovative Holiday Recycling Program should serve as a model for communities throughout Connecticut," said Senator Kennedy. "Recycling protects our environment and saves money for our cities and towns that would otherwise be spent on unsustainable waste management practices. Connecticut has set a goal to reduce solid waste in our state by 60% by 2024, and it is the ingenuity of people like Etta Hanlon that will make this goal reachable. Etta is living proof that every single individual can make an important contribution to our communities. I was proud to support Etta's efforts to receive this grant from DEEP, and expect to see big things from her in the future."

"We are extremely grateful to the state DEEP for funding our Holiday Recycling Program for $6,000 through their 'Recycling Initiative Grants,'" said Etta Hanlon. "We hope to use the money to improve and expand the program to a level where it will be a successful part of our state's ongoing efforts to significantly reduce waste and maximize recycling."

Hanlon continued, saying that "our program synergizes nicely with a new initiative from Senator Kennedy aimed at reducing the unnecessary and wasteful packaging which also is associated with the holiday season. We believe waste reduction through programs like ours is great, but waste elimination as proposed by Sen Kennedy is even better. Together these efforts will hopefully change behaviors not only with our CT residents as they see the value of recycling, but also retailers as they learn that 'greening' the holidays is both good for business as well as the environment."

"We would like to thank the DEEP for the grant moneys to help continue our Holiday Wrapping Paper Program.　 This is the third year of the program which has resulted in over 15 tons being diverted from the waste stream and recycled annually in Branford alone.　 With this grant, we are expanding the program into North Branford and continue to work towards expansion of the program throughout the entire State.　 We appreciate the assistance and leadership from Senator Kennedy and support his Waste Reduction Initiatives to help reach our State's goal of 60% recycling by 2024," said Dan McGowan, Branford's Solid Waste Supervisor.

Hanlon worked with Dan McGowan to create the Holiday Recycling Program in 2013 after noticing that many of her neighbors were putting their holiday wrapping paper in trash bags and setting them on the curb. Wanting to see this holiday waste recycled instead of put in the trash, Hanlon and McGowan established a program in which the Town of Branford provides residents with recyclable bags which can be filled with holiday trash and put out during regular trash pickup days following the holidays. Students are given bags at schools, and instructed on how to use them. This allows the Holiday Recycling program to target the population expected to generate the bulk of wrapping paper and gift waste during the holidays.

In its first year alone, the Holiday Recycling Program recycled 18 tons of wrapping paper, boxes and other holiday byproducts that would otherwise filled the state's waste stream. Recycling holiday waste holds an important economic benefit in addition to the obvious environmental one. Towns can generate revenue through recycled products, whereas disposing of non-recycled waste can be a drain on municipal finances. Hanlon has announced that she is expanding the program into North Branford, and would like to see it go statewide.

Branford is one of seven Connecticut communities being awarded grants to enhance local waste, reduction, reuse, and recycling programs. The grants are made possible through DEEP's Recycling Incentive Grants Program, which provides funding to funding is available for municipalities with existing outstanding waste reduction and recycling programs (applications due on or before February 1, 2016) and for municipalities interested in implementing sustainable solid waste financing mechanisms or other waste reduction, reuse, and recycling initiatives.

"Congratulations to these seven towns for advancing their municipal recycling systems and demonstrating a commitment to a 21st century materials management strategy.  These communities are taking advantage of DEEP's resources to further reduce the volume of trash we dispose of, conserve natural resources, and find value in our waste stream," said DEEP Commissioner Robert Klee.