The Newtown Public Works Department is announcing a recall of a shipment of defective blue WasteZero “Save As You Throw” (SAYT) garbage bags.

The defective bags were sold to residents at both the Transfer Station and Department of Public Works before the manufacturing flaw was discovered.

The bags have a defect in the side seam, causing them to split easily. The issue was traced back to a manufacturing error where the weld along the seam was not properly done.

Bags purchased before July 5 are likely defective and can be easily identified by a misspelling in the small print at the bottom of the bag. Instead of “Town of Newtown,” they incorrectly read “Town of Newton.”

Residents with these defective bags can return them to the Transfer Station for replacement.

The Newtown Bee commends the town for its diligent work implementing the Save As You Throw program in spite of public opposition. Agree with the program or not, it is difficult to not recognize the town has been open to criticisms and complaints, to right things when they get bumpy, and make good on things like the defective bags.

While the current vision may not be shared with everyone, it has gone a long way towards reducing trash costs for the town by reducing overall waste through the food scraps reclamation.

The HRRA considers Connecticut to be undergoing a waste crisis. According to HRRA Executive Director Jennifer Heaton-Jones, this is because Connecticut residents annually produce 3.5 million tons of municipal solid waste when the state only has capacity for 2.7 million tons of it.

Connecticut used to have full capacity back in the late 80s when, considering ways to deal with solid waste, it closed landfills and established six waste-to-energy plants throughout the state. Two of the six waste-to-energy facilities have since closed, creating an 800,000 ton shortfall for capacity.

Heaton-Jones said that it currently takes about 125,000 trucks to move most of the 3.5 million tons of waste to these facilities, and it takes around 29,000 more trucks to move the rest out-of-state due to lack of capacity. This is only partially why she and HRRA are determined to find ways to reduce waste production in Connecticut.

One complaint from residents that has been brought to The Bee’s attention is the cost of the blue bags compared to the cost of bags purchasable at the grocery store. One wonders if it may be possible for the town to look at ways to reduce the cost to residents in this area, even though full price parity between mass produced name brand garbage bags and small run, made-for-Newtown bags might not be in the cards.