To the Editor,

I’m writing this letter to spread the word and share my experience on a fantastic new program in town. In an effort to reduce the massive amount of excess garbage Connecticut has to truck out of state, Newtown has stepped up to help solve the problem.

The town is giving free, grant-funded food scraps kits to residents who want to “Take the Challenge” to separate food scraps from their trash and bring it to the transfer station where they are building a composting facility on-site. In addition, residents who have a transfer station permit get a year’s supply of free orange trash bags, so the town can measure how “The Challenge” reduces the amount of trash we generate.

This is exactly the kind of smart solution that I love to see. Just by removing food scraps and other recyclable items from my trash, I’ve cut my trash IN HALF, and am providing my town with a valuable resource — the food scraps will be converted to soil that the town can use on public projects.

It feels great to know that we residents have the power to immediately make an important impact by simply making a small change to our daily routine. I encourage everyone to “Take the Challenge.”

Sincerely,

Lisa Rioni

Newtown