Styrofoam recycling program comes to CT

Winsted Mayor Todd Arcelaschi, State Senator Lisa Seminara, State Representative Jay Case celebrating the launch of Connecticut’s first styrofoam recycling program at RRDD#1 in Barkhamsted.
Jennifer Almquist

Winsted Mayor Todd Arcelaschi, State Senator Lisa Seminara, State Representative Jay Case celebrating the launch of Connecticut’s first styrofoam recycling program at RRDD#1 in Barkhamsted.
WINSTED — Mayor Todd Arcelaschi cut the ribbon stretched in front of a huge pile of Styrofoam, as citizens of New Hartford, Barkhamsted and Winchester, members of the Board of Regional Refuse Disposal District No. 1, and elected state officials cheered the arrival of Connecticut’s first Styrofoam recycling program at the Municipal Transfer Station.
RRDD1 is partnering with FOAMCYCLE LLC. from Sussex County, N.J. Arcelaschi is also the Administrator of the municipal transfer station of RRDD1. He has his finger on the pulse of innovation and seeks solutions for the massive waste management challenges in Connecticut. Arcelaschi wrote, “With the July 1, 2024, ban of single use Styrofoam containers at schools, universities and restaurants in Connecticut, this effort will help reduce even further the amount of Styrofoam that makes its way into landfills.”
The gleaming $85,000 machine crushes the Styrofoam refuse that is stored in giant white nylon bags. The material is crushed up, the air which makes up 98% of Styrofoam is extracted, the densifier melts the chopped-up bits, and a tube of pliable, recycled polystyrene is extruded out the side of the metal box and formed into “foam ingots.” The ingots are shipped offsite to make its end products: surfboards, HVAC panels and filters. Styrofoam is a trademarked brand made by DuPont company for a product commonly called blue board. It’s a foam building insulation board used in walls, roofs, and foundations as a thermal insulator.

Lou Troiano, inventor and founder of FOAMCYCLE, proudly showed a gilt, ornate frame. A Green Team of students from Montclair State University in N.J. has developed an innovative environmental program. They are marketing elegant picture frames made from the polystyrene ingots. If the frames break, they can be shipped back to BetterFrame.org to be recycled and made into new frames, which keeps this waste material out of landfills and waterways forever. It is truly a closed-loop circular-economy recycling product.
Troiano said that the demand for the extruded ingots is high. The buyback rate is $800 per ton, or approximately $4 per pound. (Ingot values are determined by location, grade, weight, volume and current market values.)
To date, FOAMCYCLE programs are in 30 locations in New Jersey, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Vermont, Wisconsin, and Quebec, Canada, and now Connecticut.
Currently, 11,344,365 people can recycle their foam packaging from electronics, TVs, furniture packaging, foam coolers, and food service foam such as cups, clamshell containers, egg cartons and meat trays free of food debris. Arcelaschi emphasized that the Styrofoam to be recycled must be brought to the recycling center, not placed in roadside pick-up.
On Earth Day, 2024, FOAMCYCLE was featured on NBC News. In the words of its singing, dancing mascot, Buster Foam, who demonstrated how to use the system to the curious crowd in Barkhamsted, “Bring it to Buster Foam, Buster’s here to save the day.”
WOODBURY — Nonnewaug High School claimed twin titles in the Berkshire League soccer tournament finals.
The school's girls and boys teams were named league champions after finishing the regular season with the best win/loss records. Winning the tournaments earned each team a plaque and added to the program's success in 2025.
Both of Nonnewaug's varsity teams faced off against their counterparts from Housatonic Valley Regional High School in the tournament finals in Woodbury Tuesday, Oct. 28.
The boys game was played first. Housatonic took a quick 2-0 lead with goals from Gustavo Portillo and Jackson McAvoy. Nonnewaug responded in the second half with three consecutive goals: first from Cash Medonis then two from Vincenzo Rose. The Nonnewaug boys won 3-2.

The girls game followed. Nonnewaug and Housatonic traded goals early on and the score was tied 2-2 at halftime. Nonnewaug scored twice more in the second half to win 4-2. Housatonic's goals were scored by Ava Segalla. Rosie Makarewicz scored twice for Nonnewaug and Hailey Goldman and Aubrey Doran scored once.
Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference soccer tournaments begin Oct. 31. Both Housatonic teams qualified for the Class S tournament and both Nonnewaug teams qualified for the Class M tournament.
TORRINGTON — Joan Jardine, 90, of Mill Lane, passed away at home on Oct. 23, 2025. She was the loving wife of David Jardine.
Joan was born Aug. 9, 1935, in Throop, Pennsylvania, daughter of the late Joseph and Vera (Ezepchick) Zigmont.
Joan graduated from Harding High School.
She was a working artist for much of her adult life, starting her career studying plein air impressionist oil painting at the Cape Cod School of Art. Her work evolved to include a more representational style, and eventually a large body of abstract pieces. Her award-winning work has been shown in galleries and juried art shows throughout southern New England.
She is survived by her daughter Leslie and her husband George, brothers Joseph, Victor, and their families, nephews Gregory, Christopher, and their families, daughter-in- law Huong, and the extended Jardine family. She was predeceased by her son Douglas, and brother Michael.
A memorial service will be held at All Saints of America Orthodox Church, 313 Twin Lakes Road, Salisbury, Connecticut on Thursday, Oct. 30, at 10 a.m. Memorial contributions may be made to the All Saints of America Orthodox Church, PO Box 45, Salisbury, CT 06068.
The Kenny Funeral Home has care of arrangements.
The ofrenda at Race Brook Lodge.
On Saturday, Nov. 1, the Race Brook Lodge in Sheffield will celebrate the Mexican Day of the Dead: El Día de los Muertos.
Mexican Day of the Dead takes place the first weekend of November and honors los difuntos (the deceased) with ofrendas (offerings) on an altar featuring photos of loved ones who have passed on. Elements of earth, wind, fire and water are represented with food, papel picada (colorful decorative paper), candles and tequila left for the beloved deceased. The departed are believed to travel from the spirit world and briefly join the living for a night of remembrance and revelry.
Music and events programmer Alex Harvey has been producing Día de los Muertos at Race Brook for the past three years, and with the closing of the venue looming, the festival takes on a deep and personal meaning.
“The anchoring gesture of Race Brook, long before I arrived on the scene, has always been to cultivate a space that thins the veil between the worlds. Something otherworldly is hiding in the mountain’s towering shadow: the whispering spring-fed stream, the dense lineage that founder Dave Rothstein brings, the woodsmoke that rises every night of the year from the firepits. This space communes with the spirits,” said Harvey.
“And so we cradle a special ache in our hearts as the leaves turn and the beautiful dance of Race Brook’s project of cultural pollination draws to a close. Fitting, then, to return for one last activation — Día de Los Muertos — a celebration of the end of things. A remembrance of those who’ve made the transition we are all destined for, but also a time when we honor many types of loss. And while we will all mourn those who aren’t there in the flesh, we will also, with humility, come as mourners for the space itself,” Harvey continued.
The event will be a night to remember, to celebrate and to release with ritual, music, and communal remembrance. Participants are invited to bring photos, talismans and offerings for the ofrenda (offering), as well as songs, poems or toasts to share in tribute to loved ones who have passed.
Mexican American musicians Maria Puente Flores, Mateo Cano, Víctor Lizabeth, Oviedo Horta Jr. and Andrea from Pulso de Barro, an ensemble rooted in the Veracruz tradition of son jarocho, will be performing.
Translating to “Pulse of the Clay,” their name reflects a deep connection to the earth and to the living heartbeat of culture itself. Through a synthesis of Mexican, Cuban, Venezuelan and Puerto Rican traditions, Pulso de Barro merges poetry, rhythm and communal song as pathways to coexistence with nature. Their performances feature the jarana and leona (stringed instruments), quijada, cajón, maracas, and marimba (percussion), the tarima (percussive dance platform) and a call-and-response of folk and original versadas.
The evening begins at 6 p.m. in the Barn Space with a Fandango de los Muertos featuring Pulso de Barro, a Race Brook favorite. At 8 p.m., the Open Mic for the Dead invites guests to speak directly into the spirit world — through word, music or memory. The night culminates at 10:30 p.m. with a Fandango for the Dead, a participatory music and dance celebration. Bring your instruments, your voices and your dancing shoes.
Race Brook Lodge is a unique rustic getaway destination for relaxation, hiking, live music, workshops, weddings and more. Sadly, it will be closing for good later in 2026, ending a storied chapter of Berkshire music, art, culture and well-being.
Come experience an evening that honors lost loved ones and the end of a Berkshire institution. The cycle of life endures. Surely, resurrection is in the cards for Race Brook Lodge.
For Tickets and info, visit: rblodge.com