Fairfield commission moves ahead on state grant to expand food‑waste composting; unit‑based pricing remains contested

The Fairfield Solid Waste and Recycling Commission agreed to proceed with preparing a state grant application to expand local food‑waste collection and processing, with commissioners and staff still debating whether to include a unit‑based pricing (UBP) element.

The commission’s discussion centered on three elements staff plan to include in the grant package: an in‑vessel composting unit (estimated to process roughly 400 tons of food waste per year), about 10 remote food‑waste drop‑off containers placed around town, and a study of unit‑based pricing at the town transfer station. The commission heard that the state is offering roughly $7.5 million in competitive grants to help towns reduce municipal solid waste and that a UBP component could earn a 15% scoring bonus in the state’s evaluation, though UBP is not mandatory for an award.

Why it matters: Fairfield sends much of its municipal solid waste (MSW) out of town and staff said diverting food scraps could materially reduce that tonnage and the town’s tipping fees. Commissioners emphasized the potential environmental benefit and long‑term cost implications, but multiple haulers and commission members warned that UBP raises practical questions — who sells and tracks bags, how the town would avoid revenue shortfalls, and whether additional staffing or equipment would be needed.

Most of the meeting’s time focused on operational and financial tradeoffs. Staff reported preliminary cost estimates: approximately $45,000 for 10 remote drop‑off bins, and a total project budget that could approach $500,000 once an in‑vessel composter and auxiliary equipment are included. Commissioners said the grant application must show a clear plan for implementation and long‑term town support if funded; staff said municipal labor could be proposed as in‑kind match but that ongoing operations costs would need a local funding source.

Toward implementation, staff and commissioners identified near‑term steps: meet with the town grants manager, Andrea Ozick, to coordinate the application and timeline; get a site visit and equipment estimate from Denali (the host site under consideration); obtain updated budget quotes for 10 remote containers; follow up with the conservation commission about potential container locations; and assemble a working group to study UBP options for the transfer station. Commissioners said they will seek estimates for hauling and potential savings from local processing compared with current shipping costs to New Milford or beyond.

The commission did not adopt a final policy direction on UBP. Several commissioners and private‑sector haulers argued UBP is more difficult to implement in towns with widespread private curbside service because the town cannot easily track private haulers’ collections; others said UBP has produced waste reductions in other New England towns. Commissioners agreed the application could commit to studying UBP and to piloting operational changes rather than committing to immediate implementation.

Next steps and timeline: staff said the state grant closing date is the last Friday in June; the commission scheduled follow‑up meetings (including a staff meeting the following day) to develop the application and prepare the documentation that local boards require before a grant can be submitted. Commissioners emphasized that further site and equipment details are needed — for example, whether compostable trays from schools must be shredded before processing and whether Denali’s site would require a front‑loader or other auxiliary equipment.

The commission also tasked staff to gather the operational estimates that will feed the grant application and to document projected town labor or consultant time that could count as in‑kind match. No formal vote recorded on adoption of UBP in the application; the commission recorded consensus to proceed with grant development and further study.