This week, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and the City of Meriden launched a pilot program to collect food scraps separately from other household waste. “Making Meriden Green” will enroll 1,000 households in this program and will convert the organic waste to renewable energy through anaerobic digestion or compost it to create fertilizer. Households in the program will place organic waste in special color-coded bags which will be collected at the same time as trash.
The program is the first of its kind and aims to help address challenges with the state’s solid waste disposal system as traditional solutions like landfills become more limited and tipping fees increase. For more information, visit the Meriden co-collection page: www.meridenct.gov/government/departments/public-works/co-collection/