February 2020
E-newsletter highlighting grant deadlines, upcoming workshops and available resources for municipal recycling and solid waste leaders.
SAVE MONEY AND REDUCE TRASH (SMART) GRANTS - Request For Proposals

The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is pleased to announce the availability of funding for municipalities and regions through the Save Money and Reduce Trash (SMART) Grants program.
 
The RFP is available online by visiting DEEP’s Municipal and Regional Grants and Technical Assistance webpage or from the main Municipal Recycling Resource Center webpage www.ct.gov/deep/MuniRecyclingResources .
 
The SMART Grants program is ongoing and applications will be reviewed and awarded on a first-come first-serve basis for as long as funds are available.

For more information contact Jennifer Weymouth .
Recent Reports from the Regional Recycling Markets Committee

In the fall of 2019, NERC in collaboration with NEWMOA, formed a Regional Recycling Markets Committee. Members are listed here.

JOB: Regional Recycling Coordinator

The Housatonic Resources Recovery Authority (HRRA) seeks to hire a full- time Regional Recycling Coordinator. 

This position develops and implements waste reduction and recycling programs through education and outreach and will assist the Executive Director on day to day operations to help meet regional and state material management goals. The Recycling Coordinator will work directly with each member town to enhance education and outreach, improve proper recycling and increase quality of material.
 
Organics Recycling Webinar Series
Hosted by DEEP

Changes to CT's Organics Recycling Law: Are You In Compliance?

February 24, 2020
2:00pm – 3:30pm

Presenters:
Caren Harder, CT DEEP
Sergio Squatrito, Carla's Pasta
Coryanne Mansell, Center for EcoTechnology (CET)

Connecticut Compost Conference

March 23, 2020
CCSU, New Britain

This critical event will provide information and resources for farmers and municipalities to expand their leaf and/or manure composting operation to include food scraps. The focus of workshops will include the benefits to soil health, conservation, food waste management, and climate adaptation. Compost manufacturing and compost utilization are vital to producing healthy soils, clean air and water, and a sustainable society.

This informative day will include keynote speakers, breakout sessions, panel discussion, networking, exhibitors, and a Q&A regarding on-site aerobic composting.
Best Management Practices for Community Composting Webinar
Hosted by Composting Association of Vermont

March 31, 2020
1:00pm - 2:15pm
 
This webinar will focus on the nuts and bolts of community composting, from siting and feedstock collection to system management and composting through the winter. During the webinar, siting considerations, choosing a system, determining site capacity, and system management will be addressed. Lessons learned through case studies of community composting at rural sites, community gardens, and housing developments will also be shared.  
Registration is required.
Tools/Case Studies (from EPA Region 1)

W ARM version 15, now available
WARM version 15 was released in May 2019, and is now available as a tool based on a database developed in openLCA software, with versions available for both Windows and Macintosh users (257 MB) . The openLCA database for WARM Version 15(8 MB) is also available. Users are still able to access Excel-Based Tool (4 MB) the Excel-Based Tool. The main changes to WARM Version 15 include replacing personal computers with more specific electronics categories, incorporating economic impacts into the model, and updating the various factors in the model using current data sources. View here.

NRDC Food Matters Tools
The Food Matters project at NRDC partners with cities to achieve meaningful reductions in food waste through comprehensive policies and programs. A key component of the Food Matters initiative is peer-to-peer learning and knowledge sharing—providing a network in which best practices can be shared and evolved. Find out more .

Going Zero Waste: A How-to Guide for Businesses (New York State Pollution Prevention Institute)
An introduction to the concept of zero waste, how it works, and what you need to do to implement zero waste practices at your business. View here.
 
Maximizing Food Waste Composting through Front of House Collections: Developing Best Practices for Customer-Facing Bins, April 2019
Front-of-house (FOH) composting collection has always been viewed with skepticism by composters because of the perception that it comes along with high levels of contamination and a large ratio of packaging to food scraps. However, customer-facing composting bins are strongly desirable for cities pursuing aggressive recycling or Zero Waste goals—they represent a highly visible commitment to Zero Waste and can be a valuable tool for educating customers. The goal of this study was to conduct needed research to quantify how much additional food can be captured from diners through front-of-house (FOH) collections, to identity the type and quantity of contamination in FOH bins, and to determine how packaging, signage and bin placement influence composting rates and contamination. View here.
Archived Municipal Recycling Coordinators E-News and Webinars

Missed the last newsletter on product stewardship or a recent webinar? Look for archived webinars and e-newsletters on the CT DEEP webpage.
What's IN? What's OUT?
Recent Questions from CT residents & Added to RecycleCT Wizard
Can I Recycle Number 5’s?

The numbers inside chasing arrows are ASTM resin identification codes developed by industry so end-markets could identify the resin type. For those of us in the industry, they continue to be useful, but consumers should be using the How2Recycle label, which is being used by more and more manufacturers.

Why Did CT Switch to Common Recycling terms?
The Association of Plastic Recyclers worked with recycling coordinators around the country to develop a list of outreach terms for residents and another set of terms for folks working with commodities and end-markets.



The How2Recycle label has the chasing arrows, but also identifies the type of packaging, in this case “metal can” and provides instructions “rinse and insert lid”. If 60% or more of the U.S. population has access to a program that accepts this type of material – it will look like this label here. If it’s an unusual material, the inside of the arrows may say “check locally” or in the case of plastic film it will say “return to retail”.
It’s All About Containers
CT’s mixed recycling program is about containers – usually from the kitchen, laundry and often from the bathroom.
CT In the News
FEBRUARY
Fairfield at the Environmental Summit (FairfieldCitizenOnline, February 18)
Solid Waste Disposal Committee Seeks Members (Madison/Guilford Patch, February 12)
Zero-Waste Pavement Plant On Tap (New Haven Independent, February 11)
Greenwich’s big tras h problem (CTInsider, February 8)
New bikeshare, electric scooter program coming to Hartford (Hartford Business Journal, February 7)

JANUARY
Greenwich to Pilot Food Scrap Recycling i n April (Greenwich Press, January 27)
Fire reported at trash plant in Middletown (Middletown Press, January 12)
Ken Dixon: What will CT do with all this trash? (Register Citizen, January 12)
 Upcoming Events: 



February 24, 2020 - 2:00pm -  Changes to CT's Organics Recycling Law: Are You In Compliance? webinar. For more information. Hosted by CT DEEP.   

March 4, 2020 - 6:30pm -  What's IN, What's OUT recycling p resentation. Avon Free Public Library, Avon. For more information . Hosted by Avon Free Public Library.   

March 16, 2020 - 2:00pm -  Collecting food scraps for composting and/or anaerobic digestion webinar. For more information. Hosted by CT DEEP.   

March 18, 2020  - 7:00pm -  What's IN, What's OUT  recycling presentation. Fairfield Public Library, Fairfield. Hosted by Sustainable Fairfield Task Force.

March 19, 2020 - 1:30pm -  Rethinking Recycling webinar. For more information. Hosted by NERC.

March 23, 2020  -  CT Compost Conference . CCSU, New Britain, CT.  For more information . Hosted by a coalition of CT NOFA, CT ARCD and other compost enthusiasts.

March 29, 2020  - 11:00am - 4:00pm -  Zero Waste Faire & Sustainable Living Expo . Wilton High School Field House, Wilton.  For more information.

March 30, 2020 - 6:30pm -  What's IN, What's OUT recycling presentation. Lucy Robbins Welles Library, Newington. Hosted by Newington DPW.

March 31, 2020 - 1:00pm - 2:15pm - Best Management Practices for Community Composting webinar. For more information. Hosted by Composting Association of Vermont.   

April 21-22, 2020 -  NERC's Spring '20 Conference . Rocky Hill.  For more information Hosted by the Northeast Recycling Council.

April 28-29, 2020 -  Community Based Social Marketing. Bridgeport. For more information. Hosted by the Long Island Sound Study.    
Have an idea or topic for future municipal recycling webinar? Let us know what you and your colleagues would like to learn more about. Contact Sherill Baldwin.

The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection is an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer that is committed to complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act. To request an accommodation contact us at (860) 418-5910 or deep.accommodations@ct.gov.
CT DEEP | Source Reduction & Recycling Group | 860-424-4193 | www.ct.gov/deep/recycle