WEST HAVEN — City officials believe state subsidies could save taxpayers money on waste management in the long run, but plans to accept the subsidies were suspended Wednesday due to transparency and communication concerns. I was frustrated.
The city council canceled a special meeting to consider accepting a $1.3 million grant from the state’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to begin a one-year pilot program for waste disposal.
According to Doug Colter, city grants manager, the cost of sending waste to incinerators is increasing, creating an immediate problem for taxpayers when the city’s current waste disposal contracts expire. However, DEEP officials are offering the city an alternative. It’s about making it easier for residents to sort their food waste.
Colter said the city is projected to pay less per tonne of food waste if it sends food waste to Southington’s biogenerator. This also reduces the amount of waste sent to the incinerator.
Kristen Brown, Vice President of Waste Reduction Strategies for WasteZero and DEEP consultant, said the food waste plan creates a “dry cake of digestion,” an easily compostable by-product in manure. said.
“Why would you want to take all this fine food waste to Pennsylvania and put it in a landfill?” she said.
The pilot program provides households with two 15-gallon orange bags, one 8-gallon green bag, and three garbage bags per week. Households participating in the program separate their food waste into green bags and collect them along with the orange bags. The green bags are sorted and sent to biogenerators, which are expected to reduce the city’s waste disposal costs and improve its environmental impact by reducing methane emissions. Brown said additional bags eligible for the program can be purchased locally.
Brown said part of the $1.3 million grant will go toward educating residents about how the program works and its benefits. She said offering her two bags for non-food waste disposal is meant to influence behavior, even though more bags will be available for purchase. .
“We want people to think about their trash and put it in two orange bags,” she said.
At the conclusion of the pilot program, Brown said the city will have valuable data and feedback from residents to help make decisions about continuing the program. Brown said using bags purchased at non-compliant stores will not result in penalties during the pilot period, and residents will be able to opt out of participation.
Pam Roach, a consultant for the South Central Regional Council, said if the city saves over four years, it could prevent tax increases. Colter said his expected $3.3 million savings won’t likely result in a lower tax rate for the city, but it could save residents from having to pay for additional factories.
“Nevertheless, the costs avoided are cost savings,” he said.
The planned special meeting did not include public comment on its agenda. While the meeting was publicly known, rumors quickly spread online that the city council was preparing to approve the program without public feedback.
Former mayor Ed O’Brien wrote a letter to city council members on Wednesday saying accepting the pilot program would be against city ordinances.
“Know that any vote at a special session to accept a grant that would ultimately change the way West Haven handles waste is in direct violation of the West Haven Code and the West Haven Charter,” he said. “If you intend to participate in a pilot program to change the way the City of Westhaven treats its waste, you can expect an ordinance to be introduced by the regular City Council to get public input before making changes.” We encourage you to review voluntary voting. City policies, procedures and codes should not be violated because deadlines have been imposed by others.”
brian.zahn@hearstmediact.com
