Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection

Emergency Burn Ban In Effect 10/26/24 - An emergency burn ban is now in effect for all Connecticut State Parks, Forests, and Wildlife Management areas, prohibiting the use of all outdoor grills, firepits, and campfires, and the kindling and use of flame outdoors. DEEP and local agencies are working to contain several active fires across the state. Please avoid all affected State Parks and Forests, as well as the blue-blazed Mattabesett Trail. The Enduro Trail in Voluntown and portions of North Stonington within the Pachaug State Forest are closed at this time. Please note that today's forest fire danger report remains at an 'extreme' level. More information about the current fire danger, burn ban and recommended safety measures can be found here

Additional Municipal Recycling Resources

CT Recyclers Listserv

This list is open to professionals and community volunteers working on municipal recycling efforts and is for discussing recycling and solid waste recovery challenges and opportunities. DEEP is sponsoring this discussion list to encourage cross-pollination of ideas, hear new concepts, approaches and technologies, share successes, projects and programs and overall provide each other support in an effort to increase recycling and solid waste recovery in Connecticut.  To join, email Sherill Baldwin.


Guidebooks, Manuals, Toolkits, Fact Sheets & Signage

Recycling Makes Sen$e - A Waste Prevention and Recycling Guide for Businesses, Schools and Municipal Offices (NERC)

Tools for Local Government Recycling Programs (EPA)

Hauler Terms and Waste Conversion Factors (NERC)


Publications

American Recycler
Monthly newspaper serving those in the recycling, salvage and waste industries

BioCycle
A monthly in-print and digital journal dedicated to advancing composting, renewable energy & sustainability

Compost Science & Utilization A quarterly peer-reviewed journal focusing on management techniques to improve compost process control and product quality, with special emphasis on utilization of composted materials. (Now published by Taylor and Francis)

Construction & Demolition Recycling The Industry’s News and Resource Center

Container Recycling Institute Newsletter
Quarterly Newsletter for members only; Weekly Headlines free to anyone. Contains current information on states, provinces and countries considering new or expanded bottle bills, as well as other current information on container and package recycling.

Environmental Headlines
Daily Environmental On-line News Headlines.

ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainabilitye-Newsletter
Through expertise, direct support and innovation and evolution of tools, ICLEI strives to empower local governments to set and achieve their climate protection and sustainability goals.

MSW Management
The Journal for Solid Waste Management Professionals

NERC EMail Bulletin
A short monthly newsletter, providing information about NERC's activities, member State updates, and links to meeting announcements, publications, press releases and other NERC material.

Recycling Today
Provides coverage of the secondary commodity processing and recycling markets, from legislative and regulatory issues to business trends and technical news.

Resource Recycling
North America’s Recycling and Composting Journal

The Paper Stock ReportBi-weekly print or on-line newsletter that covers the markets for recovered scrap paper, including current market prices paid by dealers/processors and paper mills.

Waste 360
Print or on-line, formerly Waste Age, serves private contracting firms, governmental entities, consulting engineers, industrial plants, retailing firms, and hospitals, as well as equipment dealers, distributors, manufacturers and other allies to the field.

Waste and Recycling News
On-line blog that reports on solid waste management, from product design to disposal and recovery.


Helpful Organizations  - In Connecticut

Building Connecticut Green
On-line Resource for Green Business and Green Building.

Connecticut Business & Industry Association's (CBIA) Green Business Center
Organization seeking to expand opportunities for businesses of all sizes to participate in and profit from emerging market trends and business practices.

Connecticut Climate Change  Connecticut's official climate change website.

Connecticut Earth Network
Interactive, web-based network designed to support and further empower the efforts of local groups across Connecticut to protect, improve and sustain the environmental quality of the state. The network tracks and indexes environmental issues against the resources, activities, tools and experience made available by a large number of diverse organizations active on local, state and regional scales.

Connecticut Environmental Forum  (CEF)
An organization that provides a forum for environmental professionals to share and exchange information and experiences on environmental matters and to learn about the latest issues regarding environmental regulations.

Connecticut Fund for the Environment (CFE)  Environmental action through legal and scientific expertise.  CFE is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting and improving the land, air and water of Connecticut and Long Island Sound.

Connecticut Recyclers Coalition  (CRC)
A group of corporate, municipal, institutional and private members working with recycling and related issues in Connecticut. Member of the National Recycling Coalition.

Connecticut Society for Women Environmental Professionals (SWEP-CT)
National non-profit professional association of individuals involved or interested in environmental law, science, business and policy.  Membership is open to all regardless of gender.

Interreligious Eco-Justice Network (IREJN)Engage people from every faith tradition in prayer, dialogue, education and advocacy in celebration of the sacredness of creation. Coordinates Connecticut Interfaith Power and Light program.

Helpful Organizations - Nation-wide

Earth911
One-stop shop for all you need to know about reducing one’s environmental impact, reusing and recycling. Good resource for the general public.

Grist
Grist reports about environmental issues, has a number of e-lists you can subscribe too. They provide good information in a hip way, but it may not be for everyone.

Keep America Beautiful
Nation's largest volunteer-based community action and education organization that engages individuals to take greater responsibility for improving their community's environment. They work a lot on litter and recycling. Their website provides local contacts and programs for Connecticut.

National Recycling Coalition  (NRC)NRC is the largest national nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement and improvement of recycling, waste prevention, composting, and reuse.  Their mission is to eliminate waste and promote sustainable economies through advancing sound management practices for raw materials in North America.

Recycling Organizations of North America (RONA)
RONA was created as a resource for likeminded organizations to support, enhance, teach, share, encourage, develop, grow and sustain recycling in North America.  The recycling community is a unique group and is a young industry that wants and needs to work together to build successful programs throughout North America. These organizations will work together to develop and spread best practices and other resources that will facilitate the growth of the industry and related sustainable practices.

JTR Professional Recyclers Network (EPA)
JTR-Professional Recyclers Network is limited to discussions regarding all aspects of recycling from collection to processing and manufacturing and purchasing products with recycled material content. Please direct your discussion regarding broader environmental and sustainability issues to other appropriate listservs. This group is open to professional recyclers only! Professional recyclers include officials in State, local government, recycling businesses, university researchers and consultants in the recycling industry. This is your forum to share information with and get advice from your colleagues. Please do not use this group in a commercial fashion. Please direct any questions to Giuranna.mike@epa.gov or Foerster.kent@epa.gov

GREENYES (GRRN) greenyes@googlegroups.com
This is an unmoderated discussion forum by the Grassroots Recycling Network focusing on policies and strategies needed to advance sustainable resource policies.

New American DreamNew American Dream helps Americans consume responsibly to protect the environment, enhance quality of life, and promote social justice.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency  (EPA)
EPA leads the nation's environmental science, research, education and assessment efforts. The mission of the Environmental Protection Agency is to protect human health and the environment. Since 1970, EPA has been working for a cleaner, healthier environment for the American people.

Social Media / Networking (Environmental)

Green Drinks International  Green Drinks is an international activity providing an opportunity for environmental professionals, activists and others interested in environmental issues to connect in a relaxed social setting. Official Green Drinks events in CT take place in several towns & cities, and many unofficial ‘environmental happy hours’ exist throughout Connecticut that are not listed on this site.

Green Speech An on-line conversation about Connecticut’s environment, coordinated by the Connecticut Fund for the Environment.

Reduce/Reuse/Recycle

Disclaimer: The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) maintains the content on this web site to enhance public access to information and facilitate understanding of waste reduction, reuse and recycling. The DEEP is not recommending these resources over any others and recognizes these represent only a partial listing of resources on this subject.

Content Last Updated  February 2020