Submitted by Linda Talbott.
(July 8, 2021) — The concept of Sustainability revolves around to what extent policies or practices can continue. In other words, what are the economic, environmental and community impacts of the policies and practices we use today on the next and future generations ?
One area that the newly re-established Haddam Sustainability Committee is looking at are ways to reduce the municipal waste stream from Haddam, which is brought to MIRA (Materials Innovation and Recycling Authority)in Hartford where that facility manages solid waste disposal and recycling.
Materials for recycling go to a single stream recycling facility, other materials go to MIRA’s Resource Recovery Facility where trash is converted to refuse derived fuel. This is used to generate steam which produces 500kw of electricity through two generators. This power provides enough electricity to the grid to power 35,000 homes.
In 2019, MIRA sent 70,000 tons of sorted and processed recyclables to various manufacturers.
According to a WNPR report, the MIRA waste to energy plant in Hartford will close by July 1, 2022 due to mechanical problems with the facility and loss of financial options for plant redevelopment. The MIRA Board decided to close that facility and turn it into a Transfer Station. This means that Connecticut for the last 30 years has not put trash into any landfills, but now in 2022, will be taking a step backward and will be hauling CT trash out of state as CT landfills cannot take anymore trash.
How will this impact Haddam’s fees we pay to haul our garbage away? Will they double or triple? Will that impact our taxes?
We are a rural town and there are many of us who compost our vegetable, fruit and plant scraps for our gardens. There may be many of you who would like to learn more about home composting and we hope to set up some educational sessions on that. We are also hopeful that many in our community are willing to separate their food waste and bring it to our transfer station to be composted. Here’s how:
Blue Earth Compost is a company also based in Hartford. They work with several Connecticut cities, towns and businesses to haul away food waste/scraps to a facility in Southington called Quantum Biopower where it is converted into compost and/or Biogas. Food waste alone accounts for 20-22% of the waste stream in Connecticut so diverting food waste away from the municipal waste stream would appear to save on tipping fees and help the environment. Presently, the fee Haddam pays per ton is $91. Chris Corsa, the Assistant Director of Public Works in Haddam, reports that in 2020 our transfer station hauled out 1348 ton of municipal solid waste. You can do the math.
Middletown, Essex, Branford, Guilford are shoreline towns already using Blue Earth Compost for their food waste. Middlefield may be next. Blue Earth offers several different options, but the model used by Essex may be one that could possibly work in Haddam. In that town Blue Earth supplied food waste bins are placed at the transfer station and townspeople can bring their food scraps there any day the transfer station is open. The service is free to town residents , but Blue Earth does charge the town a fee for their service. They take away the Essex food waste and clean the bins on site there on Wednesdays and as our transfer station is open that day, it might work for them to come to Haddam on Wednesdays.
You are able to compost food items with them that you cannot compost in your yard. Things like meat and bones, dairy, breads and cereals as well as the usual fruit and vegetable scraps are compostable at the Quantum BioPower plant in Southington where Blue Earth trucks the food waste.
The Sustainability Committee is still in the investigation and fact-gathering stage with this project idea.
Blue Earth Compost will be doing a presentation to the Haddam Sustainability Committee on Wednesday July 28, 2021 at 7:00 p.m. at the Old Town Hall. The meetings of this committee are open to the public. Discussion will ensue on how we can fundraise to start this program in town if it appears we can move forward on this initiative.
Hope to see you there.
