Webinar to explain Middlebury’s trash reduction program

#MiddleburyCT #TrashReduction

Residents who are interested in lowering Middlebury’s waste removal costs, which may also reduce taxes residents pay, can attend an online webinar on Middlebury’s Trash Reduction Pilot on Thursday, November 9, from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

Middlebury pays by the ton to have waste hauled away. The pilot program underway here separates food waste, which can be composted and used to generate electricity or produce compost, from regular trash. The town then pays a lower fee per ton to have the food waste hauled away and, with the food waste removed from the regular trash, pays for fewer tons of regular trash to be removed. It’s a win-win situation for taxpayers and the environment. Read more about Middlebury’s program at Middlebury Main – ReduceTheTrashCT.

The Town of Middlebury and the Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments (NVCOG) will host the informational webinar geared towards any Middlebury resident who wants to learn more about the program, ask questions, or share feedback. It also will be posted online for future viewing on the NVCOG Reduce The Trash Facebook page and NVCOG’s SMM website page.

The webinar will include a slideshow with information on unit-based pricing and organics diversion, along with videos, best practices, and resident testimonies. The webinar will conclude with a survey to gather participant feedback.

Middlebury’s pilot involves the distribution of free trash (orange) and food scrap (green) bags to residents. Residents dispose of green food scrap bags in a “food waste” container at the Transfer Station and orange trash bags in the usual dumpster. The pilot challenges residents to cut their trash in half by using only two orange bags and one green bag per week.

The initial year’s supply of bags has been provided to transfer station users at no cost and will be available at the Middlebury Transfer Station if you have not already received yours. A broad base of support for this effort from community organizations across the state shows promise for solving Connecticut’s waste disposal capacity issue.

To register for the webinar, use the link bit.ly/46xy4tx. There will also be a registration link on the Middlebury town website calendar and the calendar at nvcogct.gov.