Saturday, May 2, 8:00 a.m – 1:00 p.m.

By Sarah Opdahl

On Saturday, May 2, New Fairfield will belatedly celebrate Earth Day with a large Public Works litter removal effort from the Town’s center. Residents are also invited to take part in the activity by picking up bags from Town Hall, which will be available and disposed of at no cost to residents, and cleaning up litter along their roadside. The bags can be picked up and dropped off at the Senior Center, from 8:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.

The Town  will also kick  off the Smart Bin program, which is intended to ease food scrap disposal. There will be an official kick off on Saturday, May 2 at 9:30 a.m. at the Senior Center, and all are welcome to attend. The bins are an exciting new initiative by the Housatonic Regional Recovery Authority (“HRRA”) to encourage and ease composting. On Hrra.org, the program is described as “a more convenient option for dropping off organic waste (food scraps). The purpose is to create easy and convenient opportunities for residents to participate in reducing their waste by removing food scraps.”

Astonishingly, HRRA reports “nearly 33% of CT’s waste stream consists of organic materials. There is significant potential to reduce, reuse, and divert a substantial portion of food and organic waste materials from CT’s MSW stream.” Happily, New Fairfield has now installed a “Smart Bin” to provide a simple solution. These containers are available to deposit food scraps—and only food scraps, as they are making compost from the material—and can be used 24/7.  Some items eligible to deposit include:

Meat, Poultry (bones also) Fish (including shellfish)

Dairy Products

Unpainted pumpkins, gourds

Houseplants & Flower Bouquets

Fruits & Nuts (including pits)

Vegetables ***Remove stickers, bands and twist ties***

Bread, Pasta & Grains

Sauces, Soup & Gravy

Coffee Grounds & Filters

Tea Bags

Paper Towels & Napkins (free of cleaning products)

Egg Shells

Plate Scrapings

HRRA breaks the process down into three simple steps. Here’s the scoop on how to take part:

1.) Sign-up for your town’s food scraps program (if you haven’t already).

2.) Download the “MetroKEY” phone app.

3.) Bring your food scraps to the bin, open it with your cell phone, and deposit the scraps.

Try this exciting new service and find joy in helping to reduce the waste stream and recycle your food scraps into usable material.