KILLINGWORTH

Press Release from Killingworth First Selectman Nancy Gorski

The Killingworth Board of Selectmen has unanimously approved a new, free food scrap recycling pilot program to begin Wednesday, Nov. 1.

Blue Earth Compost, based in Hartford, will be placing food scrap collection bins at the Killingworth Transfer Station, located at Recycle Way.

The program is free to all town residents with a transfer station sticker.

Blue Earth will collect the food scraps and haul them to Quantum Biopower, a state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection-approved anaerobic digester in Southington.

In 21 days, Quantum can convert the food scraps into compost and convert the methane byproduct inside the facility into bio-gas that generate electricity for the town of Southington.

Killingworth pays $116 per ton to have municipal solid waste hauled to a regional transfer station in Essex where it is then hauled to out-of-state landfills, according to town leaders. Data from the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) states that about 22% of the waste stream is food. Pulling this material out of the regular waste stream has the potential to save the Town money on its overall waste fees.

The ultimate goal is to reduce the amount of tonnage hauled away by removing food from the trash. Other surrounding towns, such as Haddam, Deep River, Guilford, Old Saybrook, and Essex, are participating in similar food scrap recycling programs.

Food scraps can be converted into compost, which improves soil quality, reduces the need for chemical fertilizers, helps to retain water in the soil, and reduces soil erosion, the town said.

Many food items cannot be placed in a backyard compost. All food scraps can be composted through the anaerobic digester.

“If it Grows, it Goes” is the Blue Earth motto. Acceptable items include fruits, vegetables, meat, poultry and bones, fish/shellfish and shells, dairy products, bread, pasta, rice, grains, eggs, eggshells, chips and snacks, nuts and seeds, leftover and spoiled food, coffee grounds, tea bags (no staples), paper towels and napkins used for food production (not for cleaning), cut flowers and pet food (no pet waste).

For more information about our recycling initiatives, including food scrap recycling, visit our transfer station page on the Killingworth town website www.townofkillingworth.com/transfer-station.