Connecticut Municipalities Call for New Recycling Infrastructure

The Connecticut Conference of Municipalities (CCM) recently released a report that calls for the development of in-state recycling facilities, new technologies and development of new markets due to the collapse of the statewide market for recyclables.

CCM has called for a new tax on, or complete elimination of, plastic straws and bags; an expansion of the list of glass and plastic deposit containers; better education of the public on recycling; and restrictions on the availability of packing materials, the News-Times reports.

Additionally, according to a CT Mirror report, Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont is recommending a statewide 10-cent per bag tax on plastic bags, with all the money going to the state. However, the governor’s proposal has raised a few eyebrows and concerns throughout the state.

The Mirror reports there are concerns that a tax on plastic bags would be “regressive, affecting low-income people more. That the governor is pitching a plastic bag tax as a ‘sin’ tax isn’t helping much with public relations since the bags principally involve a product used with the most basic of human needs—food.”

News-Times has more details:

The sudden collapse of the market for recyclables means that sidewalk collections are no longer making money for cities and towns, according to a new report from the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities that indicates the crisis is not going to end anytime soon.

For Fairfield First Selectman Michael Tetreau, a revenue stream of about $25 a ton, will become a $75-per-ton expense on July 1, with no ceiling in sight.

“We don’t know where that stops,” he said Monday. “Some of it’s a moving target. A month ago the numbers were different than they are today.”

Read the full article here.