ConnPIRG Calls for Increased Effort to Achieve Zero Waste

The Connecticut Public Interest Research Group Education Fund to recently released a report, “The Zero Waste Solution, How 21st Century Recycling and Trash Reduction can Protect Public Health and Boost Connecticut’s Economy,” that focuses on the advantages of a zero waste management strategy. Zero waste is a policy based on the principle that people and communities can use less in the first place, reuse more, and recycle and compost what’s left – sending nothing to landfills or incinerators.

Among other findings, the report reflected that Connecticut is over-reliant on incineration as a waste management strategy (burning more trash per person than any other state in the country). The report also concludes that, as a result, the ash is increasingly shipped out of state, leaving the state vulnerable to sudden price or policy changes beyond its borders.  The report also reflects that trash incineration is expensive and a threat to public health: incinerators are the largest source of neuro-toxins like mercury and dioxin in Connecticut.

The report also finds that communities adopting zero waste policies (e.g., San Francisco and Nantucket) have increased their diversion rates to over eighty and ninety percent in less than a decade.  According to the most recent data available from the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, only three Connecticut towns have achieved 50% diversion: Darien, Middlebury, and Woodstock.

Stating that recycling material rather than wasting it creates economic activity, the report also reflects that increasing recycling would be a boon to the Connecticut economy.  For example, Connecticut sent approximately 15,600 tons of #1 Plastic to incinerators or landfills in 2009, which could have been sold for somewhere between $4.4 and $12.5 million, depending on commodity prices at the time of sale.  Recycling also saves money for cities and towns, who saved somewhere between $45-$90 for every ton of material recycled rather than thrown away in 2010.

To access the complete report, please visit:

ConnPIRG: The Zero Waste Solution: How 21st Century Recycling and Trash Reduction Can Protect Public Health and Boost Connecticut’s Economy (Spring 2013)

Background information:

Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection: Waste Reduction

Connecticut Public Interest Research Group

Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection