Did you know that 160 billion pounds of food go to waste every year in the United States? And that only five percent of that food is composted, making uneaten food the single largest component of municipal solid waste?

These statistics come from the office of Senator Richard Blumenthal, who recently announced that a federal grant from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has been given to fund local food waste management efforts. It will focus on a local sustainable composting system to reduce carbon footprint and mitigate impact of food waste.

Blumenthal conducted a press conference at the Ridgefield Transfer Station on Friday, October 22, to discuss the funding and its aim.

Executive Director of Housatonic Resources Recovery Authority (HRRA) Jennifer Heaton-Jones was there on behalf of the regional, governmental, waste management, and recycling authority that serves 14 municipalities in western Connecticut, including Newtown.

Also in attendance were fellow HRRA members Rudy Marconi, Steve Dunn, and Julia Pemberton, as well as HRRA stakeholders, Jeff Demers from New England compost, members of the Ridgefield Action Committee for the Environment (RACE), and staff from Ridgefield Public Works.

Heaton-Jones told The Newtown Bee, on November 1, that back in November 2015 the HRRA launched the Newtown Organics Collection Program.

“The Newtown Public Works Department has done an incredible job working with the HRRA to improve food recovery for the region,” she said. “I would say out of the five municipal programs we have implemented, Newtown has been the most successful in increasing participation and public awareness.”

The grant funding discussed at the press conference will be going toward a Ridgefield project for food waste recycling.

Heaton-Jones noted, “The HRRA received $72,656.58 from the USDA. We will also receive $14,250 from the RecycleCT Lee Sawyer Grant.”

Composting Benefits

Everyone, including Newtown residents, can do their part to help reduce the food waste problem locally by composting.

Heaton-Jones explained, “Composting provides a way not only of reducing the amount of waste that needs to be disposed of, but also of converting it into a product that is useful for gardening, landscaping, or house plants.”

She continued, “By addressing the solid waste issue, composting provides a way of instilling in all of us a sense of environmental stewardship. Many educational programs focus on reducing, reusing, and recycling our solid wastes. Composting fits in with this idea but takes it a step beyond.”

Participating in composting initiatives allows individuals to understand the process of how food scraps or other organic waste can break down and turn into something good for the soil.

“Contrary to the ‘out of sight, out of mind’ philosophy, those who compost become aware of organic wastes as potential resources rather than just as something ‘gross’ to be thrown away and forgotten,” Heaton-Jones said.

As a result, those experiences can make a personal difference in people’s lives and ultimately have a positive effect on the environment, too.

“We encourage residents to participate by backyard composting or using the drop-off program,” Heaton-Jones said. “HRRA does provide Composting 101 classes to help residents get started. The next class will take place on Wednesday, November 17.

For more information about the HRRA and to register for the upcoming Composting 101 class, visit hrra.org or call 203-775-4539.

Reporter Alissa Silber can be reached at alissa@thebee.com.