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SCARA outlines rising disposal costs, new regional food‑waste composting facility
Summary
SCARA told the Groton council that regional disposal contracts expire in 2030, current contracted tip fees are about $81.19/ton and market fees in some places exceed $140/ton, and that a grant‑funded commercial‑scale food‑waste composting facility will open by year‑end to process roughly 7,000 tons of food waste at about half the cost of current disposal.
Dave Aldrich, executive director of the Southeastern Connecticut Regional Resources Recovery Authority (SCARA), told the Groton Town Council that Connecticut’s waste‑to‑energy capacity has declined in recent years and that regional disposal costs have increased sharply. He said SCARA’s current contracted municipal solid‑waste rate is $81.19 per ton and that market “tip fees” in some locations have climbed to more than $140 per ton after recent facility closures.
Aldrich said SCARA’s three major disposal and recycling contracts all expire at the end of 2030, and that the authority has been looking at ways to reduce long‑term costs for member towns. “When fully operational, the site will process over 7,000 tons of food waste at about half the cost of what waste disposal is at the waste‑to‑energy facility,” Aldrich said during the presentation. He described grants from state and federal programs that funded most of the new composting facility’s construction and said clearing of the site had begun.
Aldrich outlined three collection approaches SCARA is planning: (1) resident drop‑off at transfer stations, (2) curbside pickup run by a partner hauler offering low weekly rates, and (3) Bluetooth‑access kiosks for high‑density areas and apartment buildings. SCARA said it has ordered thousands of curbside bins for schools and transfer stations and will launch community outreach in the fall.
Councilors asked how businesses and landscapers would be accommodated and whether the program would increase costs or create rodent/odor problems; Aldrich said curbside trucks will be smaller, more frequent and designed to limit odor, and that haulers are developing pricing tiers so unit cost falls as participation grows. He also said SCARA will reserve some finished compost for community gardens at no charge.
Why this matters: Groton’s share of regional disposal costs and the town’s transfer‑station operations will be affected by the 2030 contract expirations. The new composting facility and related collection models could reduce hauling and disposal costs and help the town meet waste‑reduction goals.
