Transfer station: food-scrap program averaging 600 lb/week; program still operating at a deficit

Town staff reported Oct. 9 that New Canaan’s food-scrap program is averaging about 600 pounds a week and that the program currently operates at a net cost rather than cost-neutral. Tiger, the staff member overseeing transfer-station reporting, told the commission the program produced roughly 4,800 pounds in the past month (reported as about 2.4 tons) and cited a rough annualized figure of about 28.8 tons per year.

Tiger said the program’s operational deficit is covered by Planet New Canaan, which reconciles the difference at year-end based on avoided municipal solid-waste disposal costs. "Right now, we're still at a at a deficit on cost, and that, differential is paid by the, by Planet New Canaan, reconciled at the end of the year," Tiger said.

Commissioners also heard operations metrics from recent events: a Sept. 20 Shred Day drew 151 cars and yielded about 3.5 tons of material, and the household hazardous-waste day attracted 313 New Canaan cars and 108 cars from partner towns for a total of 421. Tiger said the department has spreadsheet records going back to 2017 and offered to share the data with commissioners for dashboard work.

On vendor coordination, staff said the town has not consolidated curbside programs with a new vendor (Blue Earth) while evaluating that vendor’s startup; staff plans to consider issuing an RFP at the start of the next fiscal year to evaluate consolidation opportunities and pricing. Commissioners also discussed potential outreach to restaurants and grocery stores that may run separate food-waste programs.

A commissioner formally requested transfer-station recycling and waste-stream data; the chair offered to advance the request through the appropriate town channels.