From the Newtown Bee, 3/7/2025
“Talks Trash“

To the Editor:

I am very concerned about misstatements regarding curbside recycling that appeared in a Newtown Bee article about our First Selectman’s conversation with Newtown senior citizens. The comments that only a minimum amount of materials in curbside recycling bins get recycled and due to contamination most are thrown in the trash are both absolutely false statements, and I fear may discourage people from taking the time to separate their recyclables as mandated by state law. The truth in our region is once curbside recyclables have been cleaned, 100% are recycled.

I have been Newtown’s Member of the Housatonic Resources Recovery Authority (HRRA) since 1998, for the 10 years I was First Selectman and reappointed by the First Selectmen who succeeded me. Assisting Newtown and the other member towns with their obligations for the mandated removal of recyclable materials from solid waste trash disposal is one of HRRA’s primary functions.

HRRA was formed in 1986 when my father was First Selectman. Our town was a founding member of today’s 14 town region, established to help towns dispose of solid waste trash at a Bridgeport facility that converts solid waste trash to energy instead of continued disposal in landfills (dumps) that were running out of space and polluting or in danger of polluting our drinking water.

HRRA applied for grants to help implement Newtown’s free, voluntary food scraps organics composting program at our transfer station and, thanks to another grant, will soon be available in special containers at other additional sites around town. It is estimated that as much as 22% of the solid waste trash we generate consists of food scraps organics. If everyone participated, both they personally and the town as a whole could save a significant amount of money on the cost of solid waste trash disposal.

HRRA also negotiated a contract with a company that accepts Newtown’s recycled glass bottles and jars for free, saving the town taxpayers the prior cost of $95/ton glass added to our tipping fee. This is a voluntary program that many Newtowners participate in by separating clean glass bottles and jars (with caps and corks removed) and bringing them to our transfer station rather than in their curbside recycling bins. Unfortunately, broken and dirty glass in recycling bins is one of the major contaminants that must be removed from recycled materials at the Material Recovery Facility in Shelton, where our material is sent to be sorted and baled for market.

This and other non-recyclable material cost an extra $27.59/ton added to the basic recycling tipping fee of $43.24 for a total tipping fee cost of $70.83/ton. This is still much less than the tipping fee for solid waste trash of $101.06/ton for member towns and $106.60/ton for private haulers.

HRRA provides many other services, including student classroom education, and organizing and administering the Household Hazardous Waste events occurring several times per year in different area towns including one in Newtown. Please visit the website: hrra.org for more information about recycling and HRRA’s many services.

Herb Rosenthal
Newtown