Regional Waste Authority Study

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Overview

RiverCOG Regional Waste Authority Study

Assessing current waste and recycling programs across the region to identify barriers, gaps, and opportunities to improve coordination and operational efficiency

Staff Assisting Residents at Killingworth Transfer Station

Study Background

The Lower Connecticut River Valley Council of Governments (RiverCOG) represents 17 towns across our region: Chester, Clinton, Cromwell, Deep River, Durham, East Haddam, East Hampton, Essex, Haddam, Killingworth, Lyme, Middlefield, Middletown, Old Lyme, Old Saybrook, Portland, and Westbrook.

With funding from the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), the Regional Waste Authority Grant is providing the opportunity to assess how waste and recycling services are currently delivered across the region, and ways we can make systems more efficient.

Community input will help shape recommendations, identify gaps, and prioritize future opportunities to work closer together. This webpage will be updated throughout the project and serve as the main hub for updates and participation opportunities.

Take the Community Survey

We want to hear from you! RiverCOG is asking residents, community groups, and businesses to share their experiences with local waste and recycling services. Your input will help us identify challenges, highlight successes, and guide the development of a regional plan to improve waste and recycling systems across our towns.

Click Here to Take the Community Survey | Closes December 8, 2025

Baseline Assessment Report

The baseline assessment report is the first phase of a broader, multi-step regional planning effort. Over the coming months, RiverCOG will build on these initial findings to develop a more comprehensive plan that identifies strategies, partnership opportunities, and recommended actions to strengthen waste and recycling systems across the region.

Read the Baseline Report

This Study Will Evaluate:

Waste and recycling systems performance
Access, convenience, and level of services for residents
Opportunities to reduce contamination
Options for hard-to-recycle materials
Future infrastructure needs
Opportunities to optimize costs

Why Your Input Matters:

Your feedback helps us:
- Identify service gaps and improvement opportunities
- Understand community priorities
- Shape future recommendations

Abbreviation List

You may see these terms used in project materials, presentations, and online updates. They are provided below as a quick reference.

DEEP - Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection

EPR - Environmental Producer Responsibility

HHW - Household Hazardous Waste

MRF - Materials Recovery Facility

MSW - Municipal Solid Waste (trash)

RWA - Regional Waste Authority

About the Study

Description

RiverCOG is taking a closer look at how waste and recycling services operate across the region today to understand where residents and businesses experience challenges, what resources are available, and where towns might benefit from working together. Today, each town manages its own system – often with different haulers, contracts, and collection schedules – which can make coordination and data sharing difficult. As part of this, we are exploring whether forming a Regional Waste Authority (RWA), joining an existing RWA, or creating a more integrated local network between our towns, could help improve efficiency, reduce costs, and expand consistent access to these vital services.

The study was launched in April 2025 and will continue through fall 2026, with technical support provided by RRS and HDR.

Clinton Transfer Station

Project Scope:

How trash, recycling, and organics are collected across the 17 RiverCOG municipalities
Convenience, cost, and access to services
Drop-off programs (HHW, bulky waste, e-waste, etc.)
Opportunities for collaboration or shared services between towns
Options to improve program consistency

Why RiverCOG is Doing This:

Local programs can be confusing and vary from town to town
Costs are increasing and infrastructure is aging
New state policies and market changes are emerging
Current system is not sustainable in the long run
Sharing services could improve efficiency and stability

What is a Regional Waste Authority (RWA)?

Right now, waste and recycling programs vary by town across the RiverCOG region. Different contracts, drop-off options, and accepted materials can makes the current system less efficient and more expensive. An RWA is one model that can help coordinate services across multiple towns and reduce costs, depending on local priorities.

Project Timeline

This study launched in winter 2025 and will continue through fall 2026. During this time, RiverCOG and its partners are collecting data, gathering public input, and exploring different ways that towns can work together to improve waste and recycling services.

Project Team

RiverCOG Staff
Janice Ehlemeyer

Marcos Gonzalez

Consultant

Kristen Wieland, RRS

Jessica Lally, HDR

Get Involved

Your feedback plays an important role in this study. RiverCOG is gathering input from residents, businesses, and other community members to help understand what’s working well today and where waste and recycling services could be easier to use, more consistent, or more accessible.

Take the Survey

The survey takes about 7 minutes and can be completed on a computer or mobile device. Responses are kept anonymously and will be used to help shape potential options for towns to consider.

TAKE THE SURVEY NOW

Watch the Initial Findings Presentation

RiverCOG will share early study findings during an online presentation. This session will cover key themes from the baseline assessment, what we’re learning so far from community input, and next steps in the study process.

WATCH THE RECORDING NOW

Stay Updated

As the study progresses, this page will be updated with:

Presentation recordings
Workshop summaries
Additional opportunities to provide feedback

Documents

This page includes materials related to RiverCOG’s regional waste and recycling study. Documents will be added as the project progresses.

These resources provide additional background on current programs, data, and the options towns may consider moving forward.

Project Documents

Baseline Assessment Report

Presentations & Recordings

What We're Learning So Far

As part of this study, RiverCOG has completed a baseline assessment of how trash, recycling, organics, and other materials are currently managed across the region. This provides a snapshot of today’s programs, infrastructure, and service patterns and helps to identify areas where towns may benefit from collaboration. You can view the full baseline report below.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE BASELINE ASSESSMENT REPORT PDF

Regional Snapshot

17 towns across the RiverCOG region
174,983 residents across 424 square miles
142,131 tons of material managed in FY 2023
22% diversion rate (materials recycled, composted, or otherwise diverted from landfill)
65% of waste is landfilled out of state
Average disposal cost ranges from $111-$140 per ton

How Residents Receive Service

Due to the current system’s fragmentation, town operating budgets range significantly based on the level of services provided, contracts for collection and disposal, fees charged to residents, and alternative funding sources. To put this into perspective, the average cost per household ranges from $28.00-$222.00 depending on the town.

Approximately 85-90% of RiverCOG residents bring trash and recyclables to one of the region’s 15 town-operated transfer stations, which serve as the primary drop-off point for waste, recycling, and yard materials.

Only about 10-15% of households receive municipal curbside trash and recycling collection. Old Lyme and parts of Middletown are the only communities who offer this service.

The remaining households hire private haulers individually, and service availability varies from town to town. Private hauler curbside collection costs typically range from about $25-$38 per month for weekly trash and every-other-week recycling service, depending on location and hauler.

Yard & Food Waste

While yard and food waste operations vary across all RiverCOG towns, nearly all transfer stations accept yard waste, and several communities manage small-scale composting or food scrap programs through partners such as Blue Earth Compost.

Food scraps collected by Blue Earth Compost are delivered to Quantum Biopower’s anaerobic digester (AD), where energy and compost products are generated.

According to 2023 DEEP datasets, local Connecticut farms manage approximately 17% of the region’s yard waste, with the remainder being managed by town transfer stations on site (78%), WeCare Denali (less than 1%), and Scott’s Earthgro (2%).

According to fiscal year 2023 DEEP datasets, Quantum BioPower only receives approximately 1% of the region’s food waste. Another private partner operating in this space includes Bright Feeds who convert food waste into animal feed. Based in Berlin, CT, Bright Feeds accepts a small amount (less than 1%) of the region’s food waste according to fiscal year 2023 DEEP datasets. Alternative partnerships can be found in East Haddam, who currently works with Cold Spring Farm to manage its food waste.

Quantum Biopower Facility in Southington CT

Where Materials Go

Trash from most towns is processed outside of the RiverCOG Region at Reworld waste-to-energy facilities in Preston and Bristol, CT.
- 60% of the town transfer stations that provided MSW data utilize Reworld for disposal.
65% of the region’s waste ends up in out-of-state landfills (Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania)
Recyclables are processed by
- Murphy Road Recycling’s Hartford MRF and
- Casella’s Willimantic Facility

The map below shows private facilities that support current RiverCOG MSW operations.

Transfer Stations Handling RiverCOG Material, FY 2023

Key Takeaways

Waste and recycling services vary significantly between towns.
Many residents rely on drop-off systems rather than curbside service.
Organics programs are emerging but not consistent across the region.
Out-of-state landfilling highlights long-term cost and capacity challenges.
Regional coordination may help improve clarity and efficiency.

(860) 581-8554

info@rivercog.org

Lower Connecticut River Valley Council of Governments