Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont and the State Department of Energy and Environmental Protection announced a push to re-examine the use of landfills and some alternative options.
State Dept. of Energy and Environmental Protection Commissioner Katie Dykes said they are trying to create a public-private partnership to work with the Materials Innovation and Recycling Authority (MIRA) and municipalities that are interested in innovation with constructive alternatives.
Dykes said DEEP sent a letter to MIRA and is eager to work with the MIRA Board for their ability to deliver on the future for a more sustainable waste system.
The options are either landfilling, which puts the state at the mercy of landfills out of state and could be closing in the coming years, or taking the current crisis and turning it into an opportunity to scale and accelerate things like composting, recycling and reducing consumption, according to Dykes.
One business that was highlighted during the press conference was Blue Earth Compost, a business in Hartford that owners said takes scraps and turns them into soil through composting.
The services cost $14 to $30 per month depending on location and types of services, one business owner said.
Through the business, he said they are diverting 30 to 35 tons from the waste stream every week and are working with restaurants, universities and hospitals to tackle food waste.
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Dykes said Blue Earth Compost is making a big impact on the amount of solid waste that needs to be incincerated in the state.
Lamont said there will be a period of time to give incentives to compost even more and Dykes added that they hope to work with municipalities across the state on it.
