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We would like to hear from you. Does this report give you the information on Connecticut's environment that you need? Is there something missing? Mail: Phone: Fax: E-mail: Despite numerous reports of upturns in local recycling rates as communities adopt single-stream recycling, progress toward the statewide goal remains elusive. Statewide data for 2012 and 2013 are not available. The General Assembly established a goal of reducing and recycling 40 percent of Connecticut's municipal solid waste by the year 2000. That goal was never met, and the consequences have been enormous. Thousands of heavy trucks hauling waste to landfills hundreds of miles away have put 300,000 or more pounds of diesel pollutants into the air yearly. Another consequence is financial: each ton that is not recycled or avoided altogether and is sent instead to a resource-recovery facility or landfill costs a municipality, hauler or resident from 40 to 93 dollars, according to a 2010 report of the Legislative Program Review and Investigations Committee. In 2006, DEEP amended the State Solid Waste Management Plan to include a goal of diverting 58 percent of Connecticut’s municipal solid waste stream from disposal by 2024. This would be accomplished through recycling, composting and waste reduction (such as use of lighter packaging material). If this goal is met, Connecticut will be able to manage all of its garbage without exporting it. Legislation adopted in 2014 requires DEEP to revise the State Solid Waste Management Plan by 2016 to include a goal of diverting 60 percent of the solid waste stream by 2024. In December 2012, the Modernizing Recycling Working Group submitted a report to Governor Dannel P. Malloy that charts numerous routes to a future where much more waste is recycled and avoided. The report also includes excellent and ultimately discouraging data that shows how poorly Connecticut's recycling rates compare to other states and countries. In addition to the low recycling rate, the report estimates that only about 60 percent of bottles and cans are returned for deposit. Numerous communities have reported better recycling rates after adopting single-stream recycling, but statewide improvement has yet to be realized. Low rates of recycling at some apartment buildings, schools and other facilities keep the overall rate low. Technical Notes: DEEP reports suggest that the reported recycling figures depicted on the chart might underestimate actual recycling rates slightly. No data are available for 2005 through 2007. Current Trend vs. the Goal
*Personal Impact indicators illustrate trends in behavior or practices that can be expected to influence the condition of tomorrow’s air, water, land and wildlife. |
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