E-newsletter highlighting grant deadlines, upcoming workshops and available resources for municipal recycling and solid waste leaders. |
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Bottle Bill Update: Five-Cent Surcharge on Miniatures
How Will This Work? How Much Money Can Town Budget?
Public Act 21-58, modernized and modified the bottle bill. This included applying a 5-cent surcharge to the sale of all miniature liquor bottles (bottles less than 50mL containing spirits or liquor). This change went into effect October 1, 2021.
A few caveats:
- This information has been provided by the Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of CT and was not compiled by DEEP.
- The data is from the calendar year 2020, and it is unclear what effect the COVID-19 pandemic has had/will have on sales of miniatures.
- The law requires that the wholesalers remit payment to towns on April 1 and October 1 of each year; these payments may not line up with your municipality’s fiscal year.
- For the first 6-month period, revenues generated may be lower than those projected since many package stores already had an ample supply of miniatures on-hand (i.e., purchased prior to 10/1/21, the effective date of the new fee). These containers would not be assessed the $0.05 fee (when sold by the distributors).
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My Local Liquor Store Is Not Aware of the Five-Cent Surcharge...
- The law requires that the wholesalers assess the 5-cent fee when selling the miniatures to the package stores (on/after 10/1/21).
- The law does not require the package store to pass that fee along to customers. So if a retailer/store is not aware, they may not know they can recoup the fee from their customers. It can be a transparent fee or internalized in an increase in the sales price by the retailer/store.
- If the retailer/store does not charge the 5-cent surcharge fee to their customers, they still need to pay the wholesaler the additional 5 cents, so the retailer is absorbing that cost.
Press Release from September 23, 2021
DEEP, DRS, and DCP Remind Wholesalers, Retailers, and Consumers of Surcharge on Miniature Alcohol Bottles That Takes Effect Oct. 1
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DEEP Announces Beverage Container Recycling Grant Program
Opportunities
Program Will Support Establishment of Beverage Container Redemption Centers in Urban Centers and Environmental Justice Communities
The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) announced today the Beverage Container Recycling (a.k.a. Bottle Bill) Grant Program opportunities. The grant program will support the establishment of beverage container redemption centers in urban centers and environmental justice communities to help provide convenient and reliable access for container redemption to all Connecticut residents.
This grant program comes at a critical time as the state prepares to expand the list of container types covered under the bottle bill and increase the deposit amount. The Bottle Bill is an important environmental program that dramatically reduces litter and facilitates the recycling of glass, plastic and metal containers and minimizes their disposal.
Section 65 of June Special Session Public Act 21-2 required that DEEP issue a grant application process that distributes such grant proceeds and sets forth additional requirements. Information about the Grant Program and the grant application can be found on DEEP’s website.
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DEEP and UConn CIRCA Partner to Develop Mapping Tool for Environmental Justice Communities
Project Will Provide Valuable Data to Better Inform Policies Seeking to Address Environmental Inequities
The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP)and the University of Connecticut’s Connecticut Institute for Resilience and Climate Adaptation (CIRCA) are partnering on the development of an “Environmental Justice (EJ) MappingTool” to identify vulnerable populations that may be disproportionately impacted by programs, policies, or projects and to inform initiatives for creating healthy communities.
A commitment to equity and environmental justice starts by recognizing that disparities in health outcomes, inequities in living conditions, and lack of political power have placed many communities of color, low-income communities, people with disabilities, and other historically disadvantaged people at greater risk and limit the capacity of their communities to adapt to climate change.This EJ Mapping Tool is an important step toward addressing those disparities, implementing a recommendation made by the Equity and Environmental Justice Working Group of the Governor’s Council on Climate Change (GC3) in its January 2021 Report to create a visual representation of the distribution of environmental and climate health vulnerabilities across Connecticut, with input from
known environmental justice communities, that can later be utilized in existing state programs, including in the distribution of grant and bond funding.
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Call for Papers for NERC’s Virtual Spring 2022 Conference
Submission Deadline: January 5
The Northeast Recycling Council invites you to submit an abstract about one of the topics listed below for its virtual Spring Conference on April 12 – 13, 2022.
NERC’s Conferences are unique in that they provide an opportunity for government and industry to discuss the issues considered the most important and timely for advancing toward a circular economy. The Conferences attract an expert speaker pool and a diverse audience of government, industry, non-profits, consultants working in sustainable materials management, and students interested in recycling issues.
NERC is only seeking abstracts about the following topics:
- Ecodesign: Products, Packaging & Repairability
- Mergers & Acquisitions in Recycling
- Construction & Demolition Debris: New Strategies for Reusing Old Materials
- Agricultural Plastics: Types, Uses, Challenges & Innovation
- The Sustainability of Batteries: Resource Use, Recycling Options & Safety Concerns
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RecycleCT Foundation Awards More than $150,000 in Funding Through Lee Sawyer Community Waste Reduction Grant Program
Grants Awarded to Projects That Will Increase Waste Prevention, Reuse, Recycling and Composting in Connecticut
The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) and the RecycleCT Foundation are pleased to announce more than $150,000 in grants awarded to local municipalities and organizations in the inaugural grant round of the Lee Sawyer Community Waste Reduction & Recycling Grant program, which supports waste reduction and reuse in addition to recycling and composting efforts.
The grant program was created earlier this year in memory of former DEEP Chief of Staff Lee Sawyer, who passed away on Oct. 31, 2020. Lee was incredibly dedicated to the mission of DEEP, and was instrumental in the creation of the RecycleCT Foundation, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote the importance of managing materials more sustainably through waste reduction, reuse, recycling and composting.
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USDA Farm to School Request for Applications Now Available, Application deadline: Jan. 10, 2022
In October, USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) released their FY22 Farm to School Grant Request for Applications (RFA). FNS expects to award $12 million for this program, which is designed to increase the availability of local foods in schools. These grants can help new Farm to School programs get started or expand existing efforts. Proposals can include projects that encourage the participation of school children in farm and garden-based agricultural education activities, including composting food waste for school gardens, and demonstrate collaboration between eligible schools, nongovernmental and community-based organizations, agricultural producer groups, and other community partners.
There are three grant tracks in FY22: turnkey grants, implementation grants, and state agency grants.
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New Flyer Touts Benefits of Pollution Prevention
EPA has a new flyer describing the benefits of implementing pollution prevention practices for facilities and surrounding communities. The flyer includes key statistics about the cost of waste to U.S. businesses and how much these businesses can save by preventing pollution, and important links to P2 resources such as EPA’s P2 calculators.
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Spanish-language USDA and EPA food waste education resources
USDA’s and EPA’s composting infographic is now available in Spanish at the USDA Food Loss and Waste consumer resources page. The business resources page offers a Spanish-language version of a fact sheet on the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Act, which encourages businesses to donate unused food by offering protection from liability.
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Wasted Food to Fuel: Diverting Food Scraps for Anaerobic Digestion in Middletown, CT, Video
Through support from Middletown Sanitation Department, the EPA, and CT DEEP, the Center for EcoTechnology put together this instructional video with Blue Earth Compost and their customer Perk on Main to help other restaurants set up and operate successful food scrap diversion programs for anaerobic digestion. By participating in this innovative program, businesses reduce trash generation, support local jobs, and help create energy and compost.
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From Farm to Kitchen:
The Environmental Impacts of U.S. Food Waste (Part 1)
EPA prepared the report, From Farm to Kitchen: The Environmental Impacts of U.S. Food Waste (Part 1), to inform domestic policymakers, researchers, and the public about the environmental footprint of food loss and waste in the U.S. and the environmental benefits that can be achieved by reducing U.S. food loss and waste.
It focuses primarily on five inputs to the U.S. cradle-to-consumer food supply chain -- agricultural land use, water use, application of pesticides and fertilizers, and energy use -- plus one environmental impact -- greenhouse gas emissions. This report provides estimates of the environmental footprint of current levels of food loss and waste to assist stakeholders in clearly communicating the significance; decision-making among competing environmental priorities; and designing tailored reduction strategies that maximize environmental benefits.
The report also identifies key knowledge gaps where new research could improve our understanding of U.S. food loss and waste and help shape successful strategies to reduce its environmental impact. A companion report, “The Environmental Impacts of U.S. Food Waste: Part 2,” will examine and compare the environmental impacts of a range of management pathways for food waste, such as landfilling, composting, and anaerobic digestion. We plan to complete Part 2 in Spring 2022.
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Beyond Recycling: Policy to Achieve Circular Waste Management, NERC December 2021 bulletin
Cities are eager to accelerate the transition to a circular economy and the benefits it brings communities. Even in these challenging times, cities have immense opportunity to promote circular waste in their policies. However, additional state and federal legislation is needed to fully close the loop. Reloop and the National League of Cities have collaborated to publish Beyond Recycling: Policy to Achieve Circular Waste Management, which scopes out the policy tools to promote circular waste policies at the local, state and federal level.
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2021 Economic Impact Study Shows Immense Value of Recycling Industry
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Need Social Media Post Ideas
or Images for your Newsletter?
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Have you Started Using the RecycleCT Wizard app?
Now your smartphone is even smarter with the new RecycleCT Wizard app. It takes the guess work out of deciding What’s In and What’s Out of your bin.
Download the new RecycleCT Wizard app!
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Missed the last Newsletter or recent Webinar?
Check out the
on the CT DEEP webpage.
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Upcoming Events:
DECEMBER 2021
December 16, 2021 - 2:00pm - Diversion Upstream: Working with Purchasing to Prevent Waste. Register here. Hosted by CURC. Virtual.
JANUARY 2022
January 6, 2022 - 12:30pm - Recycled Content Mandates: The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly. Register here. Co-sponsored by the West Coast Climate and Materials Management Forum (WCCMMF), Northeast Waste Management Officials' Association (NEWMOA), and Northeast Recycling Council (NERC). Virtual.
January 18, 2022 -2:00 - 3:30pm - Investing in Zero Waste Infrastructure webinar. Register here. Hosted by National Recycling Coalition, Institute for Local Self Reliance and Zero Waste USA. Virtual.
January 24-27, 2022 - COMPOST 2022, USCC Conference & Tradeshow. Austin, Texas. Register here. Hosted by U.S. Composting Council. $
January 25, 2022 - 9:30am - 11:30am - Solid Waste Management Advisory Committee meeting. More information here. Hosted by CT DEEP. Virtual.
FEBRUARY 2022
February 2, 2022 - 1:30pm - Training 2 of DE&I Series - Recognizing & Addressing Unconscious Bias. Register here. Hosted by the Northeast Recycling Council.
APRIL 2022
MAY 2022
May 10-12, 2022 - 2022 Food Waste Solutions Summit. Minneapolis, MN. Register here. Presented by ReFED. $
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The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection is an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer that is committed to complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act. To request an accommodation contact us at (860) 418-5910 or deep.accommodations@ct.gov. |
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CT DEEP | Source Reduction & Recycling Group | 860-424-4193 | www.ct.gov/deep/recycle |
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