Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has urged the Legislature to double the state”™s recycling rate and transform an outmoded system of trash disposal by adopting what he termed “a more modern, cost-effective and environmentally-sound materials management approach.”
“Forty years ago, Connecticut became a national leader in waste management by ending the landfilling of trash and opening our six waste-to-energy facilities,” Malloy said. “These plants have served us well, but it is now time to move our system squarely into the 21st century by adopting legislation that will allow us to strengthen our focus on recycling and recapture more of the valuable materials from our waste stream.”
Malloy wants action toward goals that include:
Ӣ A 60 percent target rate for reducing solid waste disposal by increasing source reduction, recycling and reuse. The current reported recycling rate is under 30 percent.
”¢ Reshaping the Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority ”“ a quasi-public entity that owns and operates the waste-to-energy plant in Hartford ”“ into a leaner organization focused on promoting innovation in materials management.
Ӣ Creating a process to explore the repurposing of the CRRA facility, ConnecticutӪs largest, oldest and least efficient waste-to-energy plant, to recover more materials of value from trash and to provide better, cheaper service for member communities.
”¢ Creating “RecycleCT” ”“ a statewide education initiative to promote recycling, much the way “EnergizeCT” is promoting energy efficiency and renewables.
The legislation is Senate Bill 27, titled “An Act Concerning Connecticut’s Recycling and Materials Management Strategy.”
According to Malloy”™s office, it has strong bipartisan backing and now awaits action in the Senate.
Malloy said the proposal builds on the success of two “producer responsibility” programs now operating in Connecticut that have established industry-financed systems for the collection and recycling of electronics and used paint, and on a pioneering approach to the diversion of food wastes and other organics from the waste stream via anaerobic digesters.
Business and residents in Connecticut currently produce 3.2 million tons of municipal solid waste each year. Approximately 64.5 percent of it is incinerated at the state’s six waste-to-energy facilities; 24.8 percent is reported diverted from disposal through recycling; 9.9 percent percent is shipped out of state; and 0.8 percent is landfilled.
The state estimates more than $10 million in commodities are burned at the waste-to-energy facilities each year.
