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“The tenants I’ve spoken with are excited about the program. They love the idea of making a genuine difference when it comes to the environment and going green,” said Spinnaker’s project manager Tilly Hatcher, who lives at the Corset Factory.
Spinnaker Real Estate Partners, in collaboration with Sustainable America and New England Compost, is providing each tenant with a kitchen collection bin designed for food scraps. Tenants empty the bins into central compost collection totes to be picked up by New England Compost. In turn, the compost will be used for agricultural and landscaping purposes throughout the region.
Tenants already participate in recycling efforts at the complex, and the composting initiative offers them another way to get involved in environmental sustainability on a grassroots level.
“Separating food scraps from other non-recyclables makes them both more manageable,” she said. Hatcher believes this program provides the right tools and information to make it easy for tenants to compost their food scraps.
“It’s all about mindful consumption, and we want to lend our support in whatever way we can,” said Hatcher.
More than 80 kitchen collection bins will be distributed to Corset Factory tenants, along with boxes of compostable bags and information sheets about the program and the benefits of composting.
As of Jan. 1, 2014, food recycling became mandatory for Connecticut food wholesalers, distributors, manufacturers, processors, supermarkets and resorts and conference centers that produce 2 tons of food waste per week and are located within 20 miles of a composting facility.
“While the Corset Factory is not impacted by this law, Spinnaker believes it is important to lead by example and stay ahead of the curve,” said Hatcher. “Millions of tons of food waste ends up in landfills producing almost 25 percent of U.S. methane emissions, so it’s important to keep food waste out of landfills and put it to better use.”
Sustainable America, based in Stamford, is an environmental nonprofit organization with the mission to make the nation’s food and fuel systems more efficient and resilient.
New England Compost, based in Danbury, is one of three licensed food residual composting facilities in the state.
For more info, visit http://www.spinrep.com/.
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