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

DEEP Recycling Program Resources

DEEP’s Recycling and Pollution Prevention programs offer materials on-line that can be printed directly and used for your own promotional recycling events.  We also have materials available that your organization, group or school may borrow, including videos, displays, and games.  Explore your options below.

 
Recycling Hands

Brochures

Recycling Reminder  Explains that everyone must recycle and provides general information on what must be recycled in Connecticut.
Small Business Recycling Reminder  Explains that small businesses are required to recycle and provides information on how to begin recycling.
Composting Has A-PEEL  Instructs homeowners on the "how-to" of home composting. It discusses bin types, the biology of composting and uses for the finished material. 
Don't Trash Grass!  Instructs homeowners in gardening practices that enable them to leave their grass clippings on the lawn. Mowing techniques, fertilizer application and watering practices are discussed.
Don’t Stick Us With Your Sharps!  Educates the home user of needles and syringes about safe, responsible disposal of these items.
Reuse Marketplace (NERC, CT DEEP)

Don’t Trash Grass!

Turn Your Spoils Into Soil

School Recycling Fact Sheets  A 60-page set of fact sheets on recycling in the school setting. Ideas for field trips, classroom activities, places to find additional resources and much more are included. This document is no longer available in paper copy, please print it from the web.

Recycling in Connecticut  Learn the history of how solid waste has been managed over the last 25 years.

Newsletters

P2 View  Pollution Prevention (P2) Newsletter  (CT DEEP)

Manuals

School Composting - The Next Step in Recycling  A guidance manual for Connecticut schools on implementing a food scrap composting program.

Videos for Sale or Download

To purchase any of the following VHS videotapes, please do so on-line at the DEEP Store . Find them under the "DVD/CD/VHS"  category.   These tapes are also available on loan from DEEP, and the main branch of your local library.  You can also download them  free of charge.

Don’t Trash Grass!  A 12-minute how-to video that explains how much easier it is to leave clippings on the lawn and that it does not contribute to thatch; lawn mowing techniques which make your clippings easier to recycle; fertilizer selection and application rates which reduce water pollution; watering methods which encourage deep root growth; and other alternatives to grass clipping disposal.  Free Download

Home Composting: Turning Your Spoils to Soil A 17-minute how-to video that teaches you what makes compost happen, what items you should and should not compost, how to build your own compost bin, the "recipe" for great compost, and how to use your compost. Free Download

Leaf Composting: Windrows of Opportunity A 15-minute video on the basics of establishing a large-scale, municipal leaf-composting site. Includes technical information on leaf collection, site selection, operation and management and the biological process of composting. Free Download

Videos for Loan

DEEP has an extensive lending library of VHS tapes from various sources. These may be borrowed for a 2-week period. Although there is no rental fee, the borrower must pay return postage. A sampling of titles is listed below. Items in the lending library cannot be sent out of state.  For a complete listing, or to borrow videos, please call 860-424-3297. 

Bottom of the Barrel, produced by the Children’s Television Workshop. Learn the many ways that we use oil, where it comes from and the environmental impacts of its use. Grades 2-6, 30 minutes.

Closing the Circle, produced by the Environmental Defense Fund featuring JoAnn Woodward. This video takes the viewer through a local grocery store pointing out how shoppers can recognize and purchase products made from recycled materials. There is footage from inside plants that make recycled products. High school to adult. A nice video for civic groups or cable access T.V. 30 minutes.

Compost: Truth or Consequences, produced by Photosynthesis Productions and the Cornell Waste Management Institute. Composting basics are presented in a fun and informative format. Special emphasis is given to problems that can occur. 4th grade to adult, 15 minutes.

Connecticut Recycles Day- Be A Part of It! This 15-minute video, completed in August 2000, gives the viewer an updated look at recycling in Connecticut and has footage of many of the special events that have been sponsored as part of the Connecticut Recycles Day celebration.  It is a fun, fast-paced video suitable for both adults and children in a business or school setting.

Don’t Trash Grass! A 12-minute how-to video that explains how much easier it is to leave clippings on the lawn and that it does not contribute to thatch; lawn mowing techniques which make your clippings easier to recycle; fertilizer selection and application rates which reduce water pollution; watering methods which encourage deep root growth; and other alternatives to grass clipping disposal. You can also download this video.

Garbage with Bill Nye the Science Guy, created for Walt Disney Productions. A fun, fast-paced look at garbage in nature and in our homes. Suitable for 2nd grade to middle school, 23 minutes.

Get On Board, produced for the America Recycles Day Steering Committee. A promotional video introducing this national recycling holiday. Suitable for all ages, but especially nice for civic groups or schools planning events, 5 minutes.

Home Composting: Turning Your Spoils to Soil A 17-minute how-to video that teaches you what makes compost happen, what items you should and should not compost, how to build your own compost bin, the "recipe" for great compost, and how to use your compost. You can also download this video.

Leaf Composting: Windrows of Opportunity   A 15-minute video on the basics of establishing a large-scale, municipal leaf-composting site. Includes technical information on leaf collection, site selection, operation and management and the biological process of composting. You can also download this video.

Life After the Curb-Recycling Processes, produced by Cornell University. A fun and fascinating look at what happens to materials collected for recycling and how they are made into new products. Suitable for grades 2-12, 20 minutes.

Recycling – A Capitol Idea, produced by the Capitol Region Council of Governments. Describes the mechanics of how recycling works in the Hartford area from curbside pick up to new product manufacture. Suitable for Middle School through adult audiences, 11 minutes.

Recycle It Right, produced by the City of Keene, New Hampshire. This fun and fast-paced video focuses on all aspects of the recycling process. It also shows a group of young children practicing source reduction as they plan a party for a friend. Suitable for grades 1-6, 15 minutes., produced by the City of Keene, New Hampshire. This fun and fast-paced video focuses on all aspects of the recycling process. It also shows a group of young children practicing source reduction as they plan a party for a friend. Suitable for grades 1-6, 15 minutes.

The Rotten Truth, produced by the Children’s Television Workshop. This classic video follows a young girl who visits a landfill, tours the Museum of Modern Garbage and much more. Suitable for grades 1-6, 30 minutes.

Worm Bin Creatures: Alive Through a Microscope, distributed by Flowerfield Enterprises. In this video, busy little worm bin creatures amuse and entertain as they search for food and shelter. Suitable for all ages, 30 minutes.

Yes, I Can!, produced by the Steel Recycling Institute. This video follows the adventures of several recyclables as they avoid disposal and get recycled into new products. Suitable for K-3, 15 minutes.

Your Toxic Trash, produced for Public Television. An interesting and informative look at household hazardous waste issues and solutions. Suitable for middle school through adult. A nice video for local cable access stations, 30 minutes.

Traveling Displays and Games

The displays and games listed below are available on loan to schools, non-profit groups, towns or businesses for a period of one week, depending on availability.  Anyone wishing to borrow them must have a staff person responsible for pick-up and return.  Each display is on a tabletop display board. The displays fold up and will fit in the back seat of most cars.  Games are kept in durable boxes.  You must reserve the materials well in advance and be able to pick up and return them to the DEEP offices on 79 Elm Street in Hartford.  They are suitable for middle school through adult audiences. These displays and games cannot be loaned out-of-state.  There is no charge to borrow them, but the borrower is responsible for any damage or missing pieces. Call 860-424-3297 to reserve or for more information.  

Green Building  This display illustrates the use of the increasing number of environmentally friendly building materials such as wall, floor and roofing tiles, carpet, and decking, many made from recycled products, which contribute to a healthier and more energy efficient environment for home, school, and work. This display should be staffed.

How Recycling Benefits Connecticut  This colorful display focuses on the many ways that recycling benefits the environment and the economy.  Specific examples include trees saved, barrels of oil conserved, jobs created, etc.  Suitable for a family audience.

Composting-Food for Thought  This display focuses on organics recycling. It has a panel on home composting, one on grasscycling and one on vermicomposting.

Recycling Hits The Runway  This is a starter loan kit with a sample script, some accessories and clothing made from recycled materials to stage your own fashion show. Add more of your own recycled content or reused clothing to complete the show.
Recycling Match Game  A game in which players match the objects in the recycling bin to the products they can be recycled into. 
Trash Detectives Game  Could that item you put in the trash have a better use? Could it be recycled, composted or reused in some way? Find out playing this game! 

 

Other

Breathe Easy While Cleaning  A recipe card for making your own green cleaning products

Compost Resources is a listing of compost-related books, videos and on-line resources.

Pollution Prevention

CT State Solid Waste Management Plan, Amended December 2006

2016 Comprehensive Materials Management Strategy (CMMS)

Reduce/Reuse/Recycle

Content Last Updated February 2020