Residents of one Connecticut city clamored to participate in a new food scraps drop-off program, and officials are already considering expanding the initiative just several months in.
As CT Insider detailed, West Hartford opened four food-waste collection bins throughout the city April 22. Roughly two months later, it was clear residents were hungry for a solution like this.
"Participation exceeded expectations," Town Manager Rick Ledwith shared at a June council meeting. "Initially, bins filled quickly."
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, up to 40% of food is wasted each year. This isn't only a waste of money, with the average American household tossing around $1,500 worth of edible goods annually. It can also cause a stinky situation at home and — since decomposing food releases methane — is a contributing factor to rising global temperatures.
What's more, according to the city's official website, West Hartford discovered that not separating food scraps from regular trash leads to increased collection fees, meaning that food waste hits everyone's wallets a second time around — even if more indirectly.
While composting at home is one way to recoup value from food scraps by turning them into nutrient-rich fertilizer, West Hartford's collection bins at Town Hall, Eisenhower Park, Norfeldt Field, and Yard Waste & Recycling Center provide additional value to residents because they can accept meat, bones, dairy, and spoiled food — items not suited for backyard composting.
The city then takes the scraps to Quantum Biopower in Southington, where the recycling campus transforms them into biofuel and compost. The program was so popular that officials increased collection times to three days per week by July, according to CT Insider.
On Aug. 9, West Hartford Recycles announced that residents had composted 5,680 pounds of waste in July, "mitigating CO2 emissions equivalent to 1,191 pounds of carbon dioxide, 61 gallons of gasoline burned, [and] 65,703 cellphones charged."
Residents who want to participate in the program can download the free MetroKEY app to begin.
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Improving my garden's soil 🌱 
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