The General Assembly established a goal of reducing and recycling 40% of Connecticut's municipal solid waste stream by the year 2000 (Sec.22a-220(f)). This goal was never met, and the consequences have been enormous: hundreds of thousands of tons of waste are shipped out of state each year, putting thousands of diesel trucks on the highways for trips of many hundred miles. In December 2006, the DEP amended the State Solid Waste Management Plan to include a goal of diverting 58% of Connecticut’s municipal solid waste stream from disposal by 2024. This would be accomplished through recycling and composting. If this goal is met, Connecticut will be able to manage all of its garbage without exporting it.

Technical note: In 2002, the DEP changed the way its data are calculated. In the past, numbers were based solely on annual municipal recycling reports. They were changed to include recycling facility market reports as well as the municipal reports. This more accurate data probably accounts for the small increase in the statewide average that year. If some composting and non-reported recycling (such as bottle redemptions) were also counted, the number would be higher but still short of the goal. Because of staff reductions at the DEP, data for the years after 2004 are not available. Regardless of the fine points of the data, this indicator shows that progress appears to have halted.

*Leading Environmental Indicators illustrate trends in behavior or practices that can be expected to influence the condition of tomorrow’s air, water, land and wildlife.