BUILDING A REGIONAL COMPOSTING FACILITY FOR SOUTHEASTERN CONNECTICUT

The overarching goal of this project is to provide the southeastern Connecticut region with the large-scale infrastructure necessary to divert organics from the solid waste stream and instead process them into nutrient-rich compost for the local community. Our project will:facilitate diversion of food waste from the waste stream,establish large-scale capacity for organics recycling,provide a local source of compost,reduce the amount of waste being sent to incinerators and landfills,reduce greenhouse gas emissions created by incineration, landfilling, and trucking,sequester carbon in the natural process of composting, andsave the region money by lowering waste disposal costs.Our project supports the objectives of the CFWR funding opportunity, particularly those relating to diverting food waste from landfills, generating/increasing access to compost, reducing reliance on fertilizer, improving soil quality and increasing rainwater absorption. Any funds awarded will be used to offset the cost of equipment and construction of the facility.SCRRRA's project will emphasize and promote environmental justice and racial equity in our region. Our compost facility will benefit our twelve very diverse communities, including several identified as "disadvantaged" according to the CEJST (see Appendix A of the original application). These communities have experienced a disproportionate lack of resources that has affected residents' welfare industrially, economically, and health-wise. Our project will benefit SCRRRA's disadvantaged communities because it will:provide the infrastructure needed for citizens to divert food scraps from their household trash, reducing the amount of overall trash produced and the cost of disposal, freeing up municipal funds to benefit the community in other ways;provide finished compost to these communities, as requested and at a reduced price (including free compost for a limited quantity), to be used for community gardens and beautification projects. For example, as part of SCRRRA's 2021 pilot project, finished compost was provided to the Ledyard Garden Club, which grows produce that is donated entirely to local food banks, and to the FRESH Gardens in New London, which promote food justice and youth empowerment "to dismantle systemic oppression and build food sovereignty" in a disadvantaged and diverse city, particularly within the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People Of Color) community;increase awareness and understanding of environmental issues and recycling options; andhelp shift mindsets to be more aware of what we use and what we waste, creating more educated and environmentally minded communities.SCRRRA's project addresses the most-preferred food waste recovery activities as described in the EPA's Food Recovery Hierarchy:"Source Reduction" - Concurrent with the creation of the regional compost facility, SCRRRA will provide public educational messaging in support of organics recycling and overall reduction of food waste;"Feed Hungry People" - SCRRRA will support local community gardens and food banks;"Industrial Uses" - Utilizing our 12 towns' municipal yard waste as a carbon source for the compost mixture by grinding to mulch;"Composting" - Creating a nutrient-rich soil amendment for local use.