Connecticut Coalition Calls for Overhaul of State’s Recycling Practices

In the words of Katie Dykes, state commissioner of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), Connecticut is “in a crisis” when it comes to waste and recycling.

The issue reached a tipping point in 2020 when the state refused to provide the $330 million needed to repair and revamp the Materials Innovation and Recycling Authority’s trash-to-energy incinerator in Hartford. The plant currently handles about a third of the state’s waste—but with a permanent closure scheduled for July 2022, the authority plans to truck its waste (600,000+ tons per year) to out-of-state landfills.

Together with 74 towns throughout the state, DEEP has created the Connecticut Coalition for Sustainable Materials Management, which seeks a serious overhaul of the state’s recycling practices. The coalition’s recommended changes include “making the companies that make waste take responsibility for disposing of it; a greatly expanded bottle bill; and charging people for the amount of trash they produce.” The group also recommends expanded efforts in the area of food waste.

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