KENT — Acting to address the issue of reducing the volume of household waste being shipped out of state in the wake of the closing of the MIRA trash-to-energy facility in Hartford, the Board of Selectmen heard an introductory report announcing its participation in a pilot program.
As described by Jennifer Heaton-Jones, Executive Director of the Housatonic Resources Recovery Authority (HRRA), the town will receive $55,000 to implement the pilot program that will collect recyclable household waste at the transfer station and process it locally into compost.
The funding comes through the Sustainable Materials Management grant program. The HRRA will collaborate with the town of Kent within the pilot program.
The State of Connecticut produces 3.5 million tons of trash annually with a large portion of that waste trucked out of state, Heaton-Jones said.
The non-mandatory pilot program will implement food scrap collection where residents will bring food scraps to the transfer station to be processed off-site into compost that will be distributed to local residents.
Heaton-Jones emphasized that participation in the pilot program will be voluntary for residents. It will not be mandatory, she emphasized.
An information presentation is planned for Friday, May 12, in person or by Zoom, when Heaton-Jones will detail the program for residents. Information about the meeting can be found on the town website.
“It’s a great opportunity for the town to learn more about managing waste,” Heaton-Jones said.
To selectman Glenn Sanchez’ question about other towns participating, Heaton-Jones replied that Bethel is implementing the program simultaneously with Kent and therefore represents the best example of a town of similar size to Kent.
“This is a great way to prepare for the future,” said First Selectman Jean Speck. “Since the shutdown of the MIRA program, we have to figure out a way to do this,” she added.
Speck announced that the Board of Finance had acted to add $13,900 needed for a Swift House needs assessment to the town’s 2023-24 budget proposal. The funding will then be considered as part of the town budget at the annual public hearing on the budgets, scheduled for Friday, May 5, beginning at 7 p.m.
Tom Brown
Tom Brown
