May 5, 2026: The Southeastern Connecticut Regional Resources Recovery Authority (SCRRRA) announced it will begin construction this month on the region’s first commercial-scale food waste composting facility. The facility will divert organics from the solid waste stream and convert them into nutrient-rich compost for local farms, gardens, and community projects.
The goal is to provide Southeastern Connecticut with the infrastructure to divert 13,000 tons of organics and food waste from the solid waste stream and process them into nutrient-rich compost for the local community. The new facility, with all its community and environmental benefits, is expected to be operational in December 2026.
Following pilot testing, permitting, and facility design, SCRRRA is now beginning construction of its composting facility on approximately eight acres in Preston, Connecticut. The facility uses a hybrid system that combines aerated static pile (ASP) processing with open windrows to create a cost-effective, scalable solution for receiving and processing food scraps mixed with ground yard waste from municipal transfer stations.
Project highlights:
- Diverts food scraps and other organics from incineration
- Builds large-scale organics recycling capacity for SCRRRA’s 12 member municipalities
- Provides a local source of compost and reduces reliance on fertilizers
- Reduces greenhouse gas emissions from disposal and long-haul trucking
- Expands access to compost for disadvantaged communities for gardens and beautification projects
- Works alongside an existing waste-to-energy plant
“Connecticut is facing a critical shortfall in solid waste disposal capacity. We are currently shipping 40% of our waste out of state at great cost both financially and environmentally. We are desperately short of disposal infrastructure. This facility will provide needed relief for the southeast region, recycling what would be waste into a valuable, environmentally friendly product that will benefit all our communities,” said SCRRRA Executive Director, David Aldridge.
SCRRRA continues to work in collaboration with local governments and public works departments in its 12 member municipalities, along with engineering consultant SCS Engineers, including Greg McCarron, PE (USCC Certified Composting Professional and SCS national expert on organics management projects).
The facility will be funded, in part, by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection through its inaugural Materials Management Infrastructure (MMI) Grant Program. Funding will also be provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and its Composting and Food Waste Reduction (CFWR) program.
Links to Additional Resources:
- Connecticut’s first publicly-owned compost facility nears construction
- Planning Organic Composting Programs with Circularity
- Design, Siting, & Permitting of a Municipal Compost Facility
March 11, 2026: It’s finally here! The 2026 schedule for our free household hazardous waste collection events!
- 4/4 Stonington- Stonington High School – 176 So. Broad St
- 5/2 Waterford – Waterford High School – 20 Rope Ferry Rd.
- 6/13 Norwich – Norwich Public Works – 50 Clinton Ave.
- 7/11 Groton – Fitch High School – 101 Groton Long Point Rd.
- 8/1 Montville – Tyl Middle School – 166 Chesterfield Rd. (Oakdale)
- 9/19 North Stonington – Route 2, across from Wheeler High School
- 10/3 Griswold – Griswold Public Works – 1148 Voluntown Rd. (Rte. 138)
- 11/7 Ledyard – Ledyard High School – 24 Gallup Hill Rd.
Click here to read more about these events, including participation protocols and a list of accepted items. See you there!
February 23, 2026: The Southeastern Connecticut Regional Resources Recovery Authority (SCRRRA) is requesting Bids for the construction of the SCRRRA Compost Facility. Interested parties should review the Advertisement for Bids linked below:
October 29, 2025: Through the CT DEEP Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) grant program, SCRRRA has been awarded funds to support the deployment of regional food scrap collection infrastructure. See the Department’s press release below. Thank you, CT DEEP!
Governor Lamont Announces $7.5 Million in Grants Awarded to 18 Municipalities and Regional Organizations To Support Sustainable Waste Reduction
Grants Awarded Through the Second Round of DEEP’s Sustainable Materials Management Grant Program
(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont and Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) Commissioner Katie Dykes today announced that the Lamont administration is awarding $7.5 million in grants to 18 municipalities and regional organizations under the second round of DEEP’s Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) Grant Program.
The grants follow an open application period that Governor Lamont launched in April, inviting Connecticut municipalities, councils of government, and regional waste authorities to seek state funding for the purposes of supporting waste reduction and diversion initiatives spanning programmatic, operational, and technical assistance areas. These awards build on DEEP’s work to meet municipalities and regional organizations where they are as they work to bring down municipal solid waste costs.
“With these grants, we’re continuing to support municipalities in their efforts to identify solutions to rising waste disposal costs that work for their communities,” Governor Lamont said. “The smart and sustainable programs these grants will support give residents and municipalities more control over their disposal costs.”
“The grant funding awarded today is another example of the State supporting municipalities and regional entities by providing them with the tools and resources for waste management, reduction and diversion designed for their unique needs,” Commissioner Dykes said. “We are excited to continue making significant investments in our municipal and regional partners who are at the forefront of the waste disposal crisis. DEEP is eager to put these dollars to work to incorporate permanent programs and projects that will build upon the first round of this program as well as the Materials Management Infrastructure Grant Program. I thank Governor Lamont and the state legislature for their continued support of this effort.”
Connecticut continues to face a growing waste crisis. With the closure of the Materials Innovation and Recycling Authority (MIRA), municipalities have fewer disposal options located within Connecticut’s borders, causing communities to rely increasingly on trucking waste to landfills in other states. Restoring Connecticut’s self-sufficiency in waste management is critical for a reliable waste system and long-term stability in tipping fees. Many municipalities and regional organizations are taking positive steps to increase diversion and invest in waste management infrastructure, and DEEP has been supporting those efforts through multiple grant opportunities, including the first round of the SMM program and the Materials Management Infrastructure (MMI) grant program.
The SMM grant program helps municipalities and regional entities respond to this crisis by providing funds to develop and implement a wide variety of waste diversion and reduction programs and initiatives. These programs and initiatives include unit-based pricing systems operated at municipal transfer stations; decentralized food scrap collection units; technical assistance for the startup of an aerated static pile composting facility; curbside food scraps collection; regional composting enhancements paired with an in-vessel composter installation; technical support for the expansion of a regional waste authority’s operations; and a major urban initiative to launch curbside co-collection of municipal solid waste and food scraps within a unit-based pricing system.
The first round of the SMM grant program resulted in more than 1,000 tons of waste diverted across participating municipalities. Given the increasing cost of municipal solid waste disposal, this represents significant potential savings for towns.
The following entities are being awarded grants under this second round:
- Capitol Region Council of Governments/Central Connecticut Solid Waste Authority: $440,300 to support the development of a regional food scraps collection program and associated infrastructure.
- Colchester: $99,556 to support enhancements to the existing transfer station-based unit-based pricing system.
- Cornwall: $15,000 to support the engineering and design of a new aerated static pile composting facility.
- Guilford: $297,700 to support the development of a preferred waste hauler program and a curbside food scraps collection system.
- Haddam: $21,940 to support the deployment of additional satellite food scraps collection units.
- Housatonic Resources Recovery Authority: $1,542,527 to support deployment of additional satellite food scraps collection units, a new aerated static pile composting system in Bethel, the expansion of the aerated static pile composting system in Newtown, waste diversion enhancements and improvements in Ridgefield and Kent, and associated regional support equipment.
- Litchfield: $99,556 to support the development of a transfer station-based unit-based pricing system and food scraps recycling program.
- Marlborough: $108,621 to support the development of a transfer station-based unit-based pricing system and food scraps recycling program.
- Montville: $161,032 to support the development of a transfer station-based Unit-based pricing system and food scraps recycling program.
- New Haven: $2,989,257 to support the development of a curbside Unit-based pricing and food scraps co-collection system.
- North Stonington: $125,426 to support the development of a transfer station-based unit-based pricing system and food scraps recycling program.
- Northwest Hills Council of Governments: $350,000 to support the operations and expansion of the Northwest Regional Waste Authority.
- Old Saybrook: $172,018 to support the development of a transfer station-based unit-based pricing system and food scraps recycling program.
- Sharon/Salisbury: $266,692 to support the development of a transfer station-based unit-based pricing system and food scraps recycling program.
- Southbury: $157,160 to support the development of a transfer station-based unit-based pricing system and food scraps recycling program.
- Southeastern Connecticut Regional Resources Recovery Authority: $299,560 to support the deployment of regional food scraps collection and recycling equipment and infrastructure.
- Warren: $92,465 to support the development of a transfer station-based unit-based pricing system and food scraps recycling program.
- Woodbridge: $214,583 to support the development of a transfer station-based unit-based pricing system and food scraps recycling program.
“These grant awards continue the forward progress in the development of a more sustainable and cost-effective waste management system in Connecticut,” State Senator Rick Lopes (D-New Britain), co-chair of the Environment Committee, said. “By investing in a broad spectrum of our municipalities, I am confident that the SMM grant program will help support the necessary movement of waste management and waste disposal systems and practices from outdated and inefficient models to ones that are fiscally and environmentally more sustainable and stable for taxpayers.”
Since its inception, following a stakeholder process that included ideas and input from more than 100 municipalities from across Connecticut, the SMM grant program has funded waste management pilot programs in 15 municipalities, with a focus on separation of food scraps from the municipal solid waste stream. These pilot programs provided critical data on waste diversion initiatives across a diverse subset of Connecticut’s municipalities and, importantly, demonstrated that these various approaches and strategies can be effective in reducing municipal solid waste costs and environmental impacts.
As more municipalities pursue solutions to address rising waste costs, these strategies also have the benefit of mitigating the state’s waste disposal crisis by reducing the amount of municipal solid waste tonnage that may be disposed of at out-of-state landfills as in-state waste-to-energy capacity declines.
April 14, 2025: Last Friday, SCRRRA attended a Waste Reduction Advocacy Day at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford. Over 40 people and several legislators including Rep. Arzeno, Rep. Constantine, Rep. Shannon, Rep. Mushinsky and Rep. Parker joined the event to engage in conversation about managing and reducing waste in Connecticut. See photos, the WFSB news clip, and links to the live Connecticut Network recording and CTMirror article, below.
March 28, 2025: We are thrilled to announce that SCRRRA has been awarded a Materials Management Infrastructure grant for $4,500,000 from CT DEEP! The official press releases can be found here and here.
This funding will support the construction of the SCRRRA food waste composting facility, which is designed to divert thousands of tons of organic material out of the solid waste stream, resulting in significant financial savings for our municipalities in the face of Connecticut’s skyrocketing disposal costs.
Please join us in celebrating this exciting milestone for SCRRRA!
March 13, 2025: On February 12, 2025, SCRRRA hosted a virtual one year follow-up to the Regional Town Meeting held on December 6, 2023 at Camp Nett in Niantic, CT. Area municipal chief elected officials, directors of finance, key policymakers, state legislators and other dignitaries were invited to hear a presentation regarding the solid waste management crisis in the state of Connecticut, the progress that has been made since our last meeting, and how to help.
To watch the presentation, click here or see below:
To view the slide deck, click here or see below:
March 1, 2025: Connecticut’s Commercial Organics Recycling Law (CORL) requires businesses and institutions generating more than 26 tons of food waste a year to source-separate and recycle food waste, and to begin reporting on those efforts to CT DEEP on or before March 1st, 2025.
If you are a business or institution subject to this law, you will report your wasted food diversion efforts for 2024 electronically via this CT DEEP reporting form. The form is 18 questions, and summarizes the amount of edible food donated, the amount of food scraps recycled and the organics recycler or recyclers and associated collectors used.
For more information and support:
- CORL Reporting Requirements FAQ (Center for Ecotechnology)
- Commercial Organics Recycling Law Overview (CT DEEP)
February 3, 2025: Save the dates! SCRRRA’s 2025 Houshold Hazardous Waste (HHW) collection and paper shredding service schedule is now available.
Click to open:
Please note the new limit for paper shredding: 7 boxes per vehicle, maximum.
November 4, 2024:
PUBLIC INFORMATIONAL MEETING ANNOUNCEMENT
Presented by the Southeastern Connecticut Regional Resources Recovery Authority (SCRRRA)
OPEN TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC
AN INFORMATIONAL MEETING REGARDING: SCRRRA has proposed construction of a regional composting facility on the land it owns at 132 Military Hwy (Route 12) in Preston. The envisioned facility will create needed infrastructure for the composting of wood chips and food waste from our local communities, much of which is currently disposed of in the regular trash at very high expense. This facility will save Preston, and all SCRRRA’s 12 member towns, significant disposal costs, and produce a high quality, environmentally friendly soil amendment to replace manmade fertilizers. The project obtained approval from Preston Planning & Zoning in January 2024 and is currently pending permit approval from the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.
WILL BE HELD AT: SCRRRA,7 Hurlbutt Rd Suite O, Gales Ferry, CT 06335
ON: Monday, November 25, 2024 at 6:00 PM
PRIOR TO THE MEETING, INTERESTED PARTIES MAY RSVP ON WEEKDAYS, WITH RESPECT TO ATTENDANCE, TO: office@scrrra.org or (860) 381-5558
THE AGENDA FOR THE INFORMATIONAL MEETING WILL BE:
- General introduction
- Description of the proposed facility
- Operational overview
- Questions and answers
TO REVIEW PROJECT DOCUMENTS, PLEASE VISIT: www.scrrra.org/about/public-records
TO SUBMIT WRITTEN PUBLIC COMMENTS, PLEASE WRITE TO US: office@scrrra.org