Janine Gibney: recycles food scraps. Photo credit: Chuck Litty
Southbury - Food Scraps Recycling at the Town Transfer Station is quickly being embraced by Southbury residents. The program started on July 1 and as of July 11 over half a ton of food scraps have been collected from town residents participating in the program! This is a free service and Southbury residents can drop off food scraps during normal Transfer Station hours - 7:00 am - 3:00 pm, Tuesday - Saturday.
The food scraps are a valuable resource, and they are hauled by Curbside Compost to commercial processors where they are used for making compost or creating biogas to produce energy.
Sustainable Southbury, a local nonprofit, has partnered with the Town to divert food waste that would otherwise go to a landfill or be incinerated. Along with volunteer efforts, Sustainable Southbury received grants from the Rotary, New England Grass Roots Fund, and the Community Foundation, and conducted fundraising through the Sustainable CT Match Fund.
Helana Hoover-Litty, a lead volunteer with Sustainable Southbury, states “When families start collecting their food waste, they realize how much food goes into the trash and is wasted and start changing their habits.”
Residents can learn more or purchase a starter kit at the Southbury Library on July 25th at 6:30 pm. Registration is free to everyone, and it will be both via Zoom and in person. Go to https://www.southburylibrary.org to register. In addition, volunteers will be at the Southbury Transfer Station most Tuesdays and Saturdays through July to answer questions and sell an optional, inexpensive, food scraps starter kit.
See more information at: https://www.sustainablesouthbury.org/southburyfoodscraps, or contact them at info@sustainablesouthbury.org.