Connecticut Seeks to Boost Recycling Levels

The Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection released the state’s new solid waste management plan that calls for reducing the amount of waste generated - in part by dramatically increasing the rate of recycling.

The state is hoping that putting in place a raft of programs could boost the recycling rate from the 30 percent level, it is presently at, to a 58 percent recycling rate.

Several steps the state recommends to reach this level are the following:

Establishing a recycling program for electronics;

Adding certain types of plastics as well as magazines to the list of mandated recyclables and increasing the volume of material available for recycling by expanding the bottle bill to include plastic water bottles;

Continuing to support environmentally preferable purchasing by state government.

"Here’s the bottom line - simply recycling that stray soda bottle and newspaper is no longer enough," said DEP Commissioner Gina McCarthy. "We must radically and quickly ‘change the balance’ in favor of waste reduction, recycling, and reuse over disposal. If you look at the amount of waste we generate and then look at the available places there are for it to go - something has to give. If we dramatically increase our recycling rate, we can avoid the need for additional disposal facilities."

The goals of the State Solid Waste Management Plan are as follows:

Goal One - Significantly reduce the amount of Connecticut generated solid waste requiring disposal through increased source reduction, reuse, recycling, and composting.

Goal Two - Manage the solid waste that requires disposal in an efficient, equitable, and environmentally protective manner.

Goal Three - Adopt stable, long-term funding mechanisms that provide sufficient state, regional, and local programs while providing incentives for increased waste reduction and diversion.

The state DEP worked extensively with the public and the specially created DEP Solid Waste Management Plan External Stakeholders Working Group in developing the plan. The DEP held a series of public information meetings on the Plan, beginning in July and continuing through August. The DEP also held a series of official public hearings to offer an opportunity for all stakeholders to formally submit comments for the development of the final plan. The amended Plan - the first major amendment since 1991 - offers seventy-five comprehensive strategies for solid waste management in Connecticut and will serve as the basis for Connecticut’s solid waste management approach through 2024.