MADISON, Conn. — Story by
Deacon Wilkins
Juliette Brenza
Bryce Malary
Someone else's trash… is another person's treasure.
The towns of Madison and Guilford are striving towards converting food waste into energy.
The Co-collection Pilot Program is a free trial for all participants to see how food waste management would work in the future.
“The state is facing a solid waste crisis, we’re generating more trash than we can really deal with,” says Jonathan Walter, Civil Engineer for the Town of Madison. “As a town community and state community, we should all be trying to do our part.”
The towns are distributing a one-year supply of special color-coded bags to up to 700 households in both Guilford and Madison. At the end of each week, participants will tie up the bags and place them outside to be collected.
Once the bags are picked up, they are on the road to the Quantum Biopower Facility in Southington.
“It's going to be saving on landfill space and it is a savior for the environment,” says Todd Berube, the Facility Process Manager for Quantum Biopower. “We separate the garbage from the liquid, the liquid goes through a multiple of tanks, and at that point it decomposes. It creates a methane gas, which we use to turn our generator. Currently, we're powering approximately 750 homes.”
With the increased necessity for green energy in Connecticut, many residents have signed up in hopes of a greener future.
“As the climate changes, each household can make a difference by taking a small step like this.” says David Wilkins, a participant of the trial from Madison.
This program is not permanent yet, however, with the necessary support, residents can make a difference in our community.
The FOX 61 Student News program empowers Connecticut middle and high school students to explore the world of multi-media journalism by giving them the opportunity to capture, edit and publish original content under the guidance of industry professionals.
Each student produced and hosted segment will showcase a local story or event, highlighting all that is great about our state. Segments will be featured on-air during Friday's Morning News at 7:25 a.m., 10 p.m. news and during the FOX61 Morning News on Saturday at 7 a.m., on our Facebook page and right here on FOX61.com!
Stay tuned and keep an eye out for the next news star! If your school would like to get involved learn more here or email us at studentnews@fox61.com.
Have a story idea or something on your mind you want to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at newstips@fox61.com
HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET FOX61 NEWS
Download the FOX61 News APP
iTunes: Click here to download
Google Play: Click here to download
Stream Live on ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching FOX61.
Steam Live on FIRE TV: Search ‘FOX61’ and click ‘Get’ to download.