How Stronger Laws in Connecticut Can Tackle Food Waste
Food waste in Connecticut is taking a toll in our communities and the environment. Learn how stronger food waste laws can help us reduce toxic emissions and fight food insecurity.
![Photography of person emptying a metal bin of food waste into a composting receptacle.](https://www.clf.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Detail-Food-Waste-Connecticut-via-shutterstock-600x375.jpg)
Food waste in Connecticut is taking a toll in our communities and the environment. Learn how stronger food waste laws can help us reduce toxic emissions and fight food insecurity.
“Advanced recycling is nothing more than a flashy PR campaign from the plastic industry,” said Nora Bosworth, Zero Waste Attorney at CLF. “These facilities pollute communities and perpetuate environmental racism. This commonsense bill will ensure that any advanced recycling facility is subject to Maine state regulations, and Governor Mills should sign it into law.”
Rhode Island has a litter problem. Learn how passing a bottle bill can make a difference for our communities and the environment.
“Single-use containers are a scourge on our communities and choke our waters with litter,” said Nora Bosworth, Zero Waste Attorney at CLF. “Updated bottle and can redemption systems are a proven way to reduce plastic pollution and ensure that these materials are recycled into new products. Vermont has missed a serious opportunity to slash pollution and protect our environment today.”
How does your state stack up in this report card? Could your elected officials be doing more to cut litter and keep bottles out of landfills?
Uneaten food takes up valuable space in landfills and produces climate-damaging methane when left to rot.
“Massachusetts beaches and waterways are choking with trash,” said CLF attorney Mara Shulman. “Across the state, volunteers are spending countless hours picking up litter. This is unsustainable. Updating the Bottle Bill will not only slash litter, but it will also reduce the state’s greenhouse gas emissions. It’s time for legislators to meet this moment and stop relying on volunteers to clean up litter when a legislative solution is at our fingertips.”
Regardless of how we dispose of it, plastic will not biodegrade. Here’s what that means for our communities and environment.
Britteny Jenkins, CLF’s Vice President for the Environmental Justice Program shares her journey and goals for our region. She will lead our transportation, climate justice, and zero waste efforts.
“The owners of this landfill are blatantly ignoring the law and robbing Vermonters of the right to weigh in on a project that will affect public health and the environment,” said Nora Bosworth, Zero Waste Attorney at CLF. “State laws exist for a reason, and the Coventry landfill can’t be allowed to continue operating this system in defiance of the law. It’s time for the Agency of Natural Resources to step in.”