WasteZero data: Woodbury transfer-station program shows 47% drop in municipal solid waste

WOODBURY, Conn. — Data compiled by WasteZero and submitted to the town show that Woodbury’s switch to bag-based unit-based pricing (UBP) at the transfer station coincided with a 47% reduction in municipal solid waste compared with baseline levels.

Selectman Richard Coates told the board he received a final report from WasteZero showing a 47% reduction in waste and a 45% diversion rate of food waste, and he attached the report to the meeting record. An email from Tory McBrien-Vranken of WasteZero offered charts, a draft press release, and the organization’s offer to present a Milestone Award at an upcoming Board of Selectmen meeting.

WasteZero’s graphics included in the materials show monthly and annual tonnage comparisons and a rising food-scrap capture rate after the town moved from a weight-based to bag-based system. The WasteZero representative wrote that the town saw a pilot-year 11% decrease and a permanent-program 47% decrease in MSW compared with baseline, alongside increases in recycling and food-scrap collection.

Coates said the report was provided by WasteZero and noted that Southbury has applied for a similar grant. Tory McBrien-Vranken wrote in the email, “These results are genuinely worth celebrating,” and asked if WasteZero could bring its team to present the award.

The town record includes the WasteZero attachments (charts and a press-release draft). The board did not take a formal vote on accepting the award during this meeting; the exchange was recorded as correspondence and supporting documentation attached to the meeting record.