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07/18/2023 12:00 PMOLD SAYBROOK
In an effort to reduce the amount of trash sent to landfills, the Board of Selectman appointed the Waste & Recycling Committee to help find innovative ways to combat the waste issue. One of those ways is to offer recycling bins specifically meant for food scraps.
The way the program works is by having people recycle food scraps from bones to vegetable scraps to other organics. The transfer station has blue receptacles for residents to deposit their food scraps. Blue Earth Compost then takes away the food scraps. Some scraps are composted, and others are used for biofuels.
In mid-June, the town held an event where stainless steel recycling bins were sold at half price. Bins are still available for $20.
“We intend to keep making them available so long as people want them. We are using funds from our small bottle funds that we receive from the state, about $16k per year, to subsidize the purchases,” First Selectman Carl Fortuna said.
A press release states, “ If the program is a success, the town will continue to subsidize more bin purchases. Information on food scrap recycling will be available by members of the committee that morning.” Money raised from the initiative will go to the small bottle fund to either buy more bins or start other initiatives, according to the release.
The impetus for the program was to decrease the amount of trash heading to the landfill. A solid waste incinerator in Hartford was recently closed, and Old Saybrook was one of towns affected by the move. However, Fortuna said that even without the plant closing, Old Saybrook had been working on better recycling food scraps.
“Food scrap diversion has been a goal of the town and the state for years. There is just more awareness now and more information on how to help our citizens not contribute to the cost of trash disposal by diverting food waste,” he said.
Due to the plant closure, the cost of waste has gone up, and there is also less space for solid waste, making recycling and composting efforts even more important.
“I am hopeful that once folks are aware of the cost of trash in general and food scraps more particularly — food waste is very heavy — they will divert more food scraps, and the by-product of that is lower costs for the town,” Fortuna said.
“The town pays for waste disposal by the ton. Food scrap waste is heavy because there is a lot of water in food. First, try not to waste food. Second, please divert, or compost, your food scraps,” Fortuna continued.