In an effort to combat the rising cost of waste disposal for consumers and mitigate rising environmental costs, the town has announced a plan to partner with the State Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) on a pilot program that may change the way household waste is disposed of.

The program was announced at a symposium hosted by the Guilford Free Library earlier this month. Sherill Baldwin, an environmental analyst at the Bureau of Materials Managment at DEEP provided tips and information on how residents can help be part of a solution to a growing problem.

“We are in a bit of a waste crisis here in Connecticut and across the country as costs are rising for many aspects of the industry for a number of reasons,” said Baldwin. “The closure of a waste-to-energy plant up in Hartford has really driven up the costs for many towns. We really want to reduce the amount of waste generated, and then we also need to reduce municipal costs, and initiate new programs.”

While Guilford did not directly utilize the Hartford facility, the plant’s closure significantly impacted costs in many municipalities. To address those rising costs, several area towns have signed on to help DEEP gather data to study the cost effectiveness of changing the way household waste is handled. According to Town Engineer Janice Plaziak, Guilford is seeking volunteers who are willing to separate their food scrap waste from other household waste.

“Food scraps make up a lot of the weight of our trash. When you consider it, food scraps contain a lot of moisture, so it’s a lot of weight. Removing it from the trash stream is thought to be a good idea,” Plaziak explained. “We run on tonnages so weight is a huge factor in disposal. So, the program will hopefully gather some info that will help determine whether this program is a viable alternative.”

According to Plaziak, the audit of the program’s findings will help determine whether these types of programs will have an impact.

“This is a grant program where the DEEP are doing pilot projects. They are doing this with several towns in the region. The point of this program is separating out their food scrap waste from the other trash into an actual specific bag.,” Plaziak said.

The other added benefit of the program, according to Plaziak, is that the end material of food scrap incineration is a product that can be utilized as compost and fertilizer, further increasing the benefits.

“The good thing about this is that the material is used to produce energy when it is burned by the facilities, and the end product is usable, which is compost. So, while our trash-to-energy plants take our trash, burn it, and make energy, you don’t get residual compost out of it. So, that is the thought with DEEP, to see how much diversion of weight from municipal solid waste goes to the food scrap program,” Plaziak said.

Plaziak said the town will be seeking families and households to participate in the pilot program. According to Plaziak, the town will be sending out mailings and posting information on social media on how and when residents can participate.

“Hopefully, we will be kicking it off soon. It’s been tied up a little bit in getting the contract finalized with DEEP, but we hope to move this pilot along,” said Plaziak. “We will also have involve local haulers and we are trying to gauge their interest as well to participate. So, it’s a bit of a work in progress.”

Plaziak also said that the Town will set up a food scrap container for both Guilford and Madison residents at the transfer station, but plans are still in the works.

“Once everything is finalized within the grant we will send out notices and put it on social media.”