To the Editor:www.recyclect.com. Write to your selectmen to request larger recycle bins in Newtown.www.hrra.org.

Like most Americans, I never gave a lot of thought to what I threw in the trash or where it ultimately ended up. That is, until last year when I read an article in The Bee that made reference to "a statewide goal in Connecticut to reduce the amount of waste in the state by 60 percent by 2024."

I wasn't aware of that goal. But the article piqued my interest. As it turns out, the amount of trash that we produce in Connecticut, and in the whole country, has gotten to be a very expensive problem. It costs taxpayers a considerable amount of money to transport and dispose of the increasingly greater quantities of trash we create - we either bury it or burn it - and the by-products of both methods pollute our air, water, and soil, posing measurable health risks to citizens.

I'm writing this letter to spread the word about our waste reduction goals, and the simple, high-impact things we can all do to make it happen. Here are three:

1. A great place to start is by recycling everything you can. Connecticut has increased its capacity to recycle more than ever before. For example, more kinds of plastic can now be recycled, as can more kinds of paper and cardboard - even pizza boxes. You can find out about everything that can go in the recycle bin at

2. Avoid single-use items, like the plastic bags you get at the grocery store, and anything that's "disposable." Bring reusable bags to the grocery store, and reduce your use of disposables whenever possible.

3. Newtown is one of the few towns in the area to have a food scraps program. Residents can drop off their food scraps at the Transfer Station, and the scraps are turned into valuable compost. The town provides free food scraps bins. Since trash management is charged by the pound, removing food from the trash is one of the biggest cost-savers. Not to mention that it makes no sense to burn something that's such a valuable resource.

When I just did these three things - recycling everything I possibly can, avoiding single-use products, and using the food scraps program - I reduced my trash from four heavy bags a week, to one very light bag a week. You can learn about more easy and smart ways to reduce trash at

Lisa Rioni

7 Juniper Road, Newtown         May 9, 2018