Tammy Thornton, Housatonic Resources Recovery Authority (HRRA) education coordinator, visited Newtown Senior Center on Thursday, October 16 to present “Trash Talk II,” a follow-up to the spring presentation.

“Humans create waste. It’s part of who we are and what we do. Unfortunately, no matter who we are, where we live, we’re going to create trash,” Thornton began. She acknowledged that trash can be confusing, especially when recycling gets thrown into the mix.

Thornton reiterated a point many have heard before, which is that Connecticut is currently in a waste crisis; residents are producing more trash than the state can handle. The 800,000 tons of excess waste then get shipped to other states, which, as Thornton pointed out, may start “to not want to take trash from outside of their states. They have a certain amount of capacity in their landfills that they can manage, so it’s really important for us to understand and kind of get better acquainted with what it is that we’re throwing away.”

Thornton’s presentation included numbers of trucks that move waste around the state. The total number of trucks is a staggering 125,000, and 28,750 export the excess waste out of the state. She also went over the process of waste-to-energy plants, of which there are only four in the state. And, while waste-to-energy plants do a good job of transforming garbage into renewable energy, ash is still produced during this process. That ash then needs to be disposed of at the only ash landfill in the state, which is in Putnam.

Thornton then explained the ways that Newtown residents can reduce their trash by recycling right and using the tools Public Works and HRRA have provided to the community.

The first way to reduce waste is by participating in the Food Scraps recycling program. Newtown’s Transfer Station has its own aerated static pile (ASP), or composting pile. The ASP is hotter and more powerful than a typical backyard compost, so it is able to break down meats, dairy products, and fish/shellfish.

For those interested in participating, compost kits are available at Public Works, 4 Turkey Hill Road, and the transfer station. Kits include a roll of compostable bags, kitchen bins, and a larger bin residents can keep outside or in a garage.

Soon, satellite food scrap collection bins will be open and available to the public. Residents will need to download an app and scan a QR code to be granted access to the satellite locations, however. They will not be open and exposed to the elements like other garbage cans found in public.

Thornton also brought a “MRF glass,” pronounced like “merf,” to show the seniors. She showed a “dirty MRF glass” example, which was full of shredded paper, small pieces of plastic, and prescription bottles.

MRF stands for materials recovery facility, or recycling plants. This MRF glass is a small box with a two inch box cut into the top. It demonstrates how materials that are smaller than two inches fall in these holes, or, quite literally, fall in between the cracks at recycling facilities.

As these materials fall, they do not get sorted properly and can damage machines. Other items that can cause harm to both workers and machines are plastic bags. Every three-four hours, workers have to shut down machines to cut plastic bags free from the gears. This puts a halt on all recycling operations and puts workers in potential harm.

“We need you to take an extra step for the safety and wellbeing for others,” Thornton said to the crowd. Thornton also explained that batteries should not be thrown out in household trash and should be disposed of properly. Newtown Transfer Station has a specific area for batteries and other household electronics, like microwaves and toaster ovens, as they can cause fires.

Towards the end of the program, someone from the crowd asked specially about nine volt batteries because she heard the terminals can spark when they brush up against each other. Thornton said yes, that can happen, and nine volt batteries can be taped on the ends to prevent that from happening. She mentioned that the MRF in Shelton actually burned down a few years ago due to a battery.

Newtown’s Transfer Station also has specific bins for glass recycling, old mattresses, textiles, and shredded paper. When people recycle right, meaning they only throw clean materials into the right bins, companies can buy bundles of recycled material and give the items new life.

Thornton mentioned that old textiles can be used as carpet cushion, plastic films can be turned into composite lumber, and plastics can be used to create new clothes.

For more information about recycling in the area, go to hrra.org.

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Reporter Sam Cross can be reached at sam@thebee.com.