Solid Waste, Recycling & Organics/Food Scrap Management

  • Along with everyone in Connecticut, state agencies are required by law to recycle certain items. CT DEEP has information on recycling Laws & Regulations as well as Waste Management & Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
  • Recycling reduces trash disposal costs, saves energy, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. How to Recycle at Your Agency checklist provides a step-by-step guide your agency can take to start or improve recycling. It is also helpful to post signage identifying what goes in the bin; print Mixed Recyclables sign and Trash Only sign.
  • State agencies that generate large amounts of food scraps should separate this waste stream so that it can be recycled. This requires a separate container to collect food scraps and contracting with a hauler to send this waste stream to a permitted compost facility or anaerobic digestor. Use signage to identify which food scraps are acceptable. View a case study on Organics Food Collection at Connecticut Valley Hospital to see how one facility is successfully diverting food waste. DEEP has information on Composting and Organics Recycling.
  • Reusing office supplies is a way to reduce costs and waste. How to Start a ReSupply Center at Your Agency provides guidance on creating a space for building occupants to access gently used office items and supplies to reduce the need to purchase new items.
  • Agencies should put in place a policy to purchase environmentally preferable products (EPPs), products that are energy efficient, non-toxic, reusable, recyclable and have recycled content. Use the Sustainable Purchasing Strategy as a guide to buying green products that have reduced impacts on the environment compared with competing products that serve the same purpose.
  • State Agencies can utilize the Technical Assistance Statewide Materials Management contract for services and/or goods to reduce the amount of waste generated and improve the efficiency of solid waste and recycling operations including purchasing equipment for recycling, trash retrieval, and composting. For more information on the contract, visit the DAS Contracting Portal and search for contract number 22PSX0016 to see what services the contractors can provide.
  • There are a variety of ways to green your agency. Starting a Green Team can be very useful for implementing actions to reduce waste and emission. See DEEP’s guidance document on How to Start a Green Team at your agency / building.
  • For more information on ideas to green your agency check out DEEP's Pollution Prevention webpages: How to Green Your CT State Agency and P2 for State and Local Government Agencies (ct.gov) webpage.

 

Content Last Updated February 2025