“For every dollar town residents raise by October 15, up to $6,000, Suffield will be entitled to $1.50 in matching grant money, or a maximum of $9,000, for a pilot composting program,” according to Sustainable Suffield Chairwoman Anna-Kristin Daub-Murphy. (Sustainable Suffield is short for Suffield’s Environmental and Sustainability Task Force.) “With the combined maximum amount of $15,000, the town plans on leasing a steel collection bin for food scrap and organic waste to be centrally located and hauled away weekly, and purchasing plastic composting bins for 200 households chosen for the pilot program,” she said. The less money raised, the fewer bins can be purchased.
A home composting bin similar to this one would be given to 200 town residents under a matching grant program.
“We want to test diverting organic waste from our landfill which a recent state study shows is as much as 22% of all waste,” said Daub-Murphy. “When it decays in a lack of oxygen as in the landfill, organic waste generates methane, which is a greenhouse gas. Separating organic waste from other trash can result in the creation of compost, which returns nutrients to the soil, or biogas alternative energy.”
She encourages you to donate any amount of money by scanning the above QR code with your smart device. Naturally, the goal of the task force is for Suffield to reach $6,000 so as to collect the maximum $9,000 matching grant. As of this writing in mid-September, over $1,300 has been raised.
She said your donation also enters you into a raffle for an at-home outdoor composting bin.
The matching grant comes from Sustainable CT, a nonprofit comprised of 131 Connecticut communities working to improve the environment and promote civic pride, engagement and social change.
For more information, contact Daub-Murphy at sustainablesuffield@suffieldct.gov or visit the Sustainable Suffield section of the town’s website. The task force is also hosting a composting and recycling seminar at the Second Baptist Church on October 25. It’s presented by Emma MacDonald of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. Check their site for time.