Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP) Commissioner Katie Dykes, along with leaders of the Housatonic Resources Recovery Authority (HRRA) and Oak Ridge Waste and Recycling and other industry stakeholders, last week celebrated the launch of the HRRA’s new glass recycling program. The program seeks to increase recycling by preventing cross-contamination of glass, paper, and plastic in the mixed recycling stream.
Beginning September 1, residents in the 14 Western Connecticut municipalities served by the HRRA, will be asked to begin separating all “food grade” glass containers from their mixed single-stream recycling, and instead bring glass to a local municipal drop-off center. Examples of “food grade” glass containers include such items as pickle jars, pasta sauce jars, liquor and wine bottles, and most clear and tinted beverage containers.
“Increasing recycling is one of the key methods identified by the Connecticut Coalition for Sustainable Materials Management to help solve Connecticut’s waste crisis as we see aging waste-to-energy infrastructure come offline,” Dykes said. “We must take proactive steps to reduce and manage the amount of in-state waste we produce in order to provide system reliability, environmental sustainability, and fiscal predictability for our municipalities. The new glass program initiated by the HRRA is a very positive step in that direction, and aligns with Connecticut’s recently improved Bottle Bill (Public Act 21-58), which calls for a minimum of 80% of wine and liquor bottles sold in the state to be recycled by 2023.”
For more information about the HRRA glass recycling program, go here. For more information about Connecticut’s Bottle Bill, go here.
