Dive Brief:

• On May 6, the Connecticut House of Representatives approved a bill that will reinvent the state's waste and recycling practices.
• The bill will overhaul the state's outdated practice of landfilling and incinerating its waste and recyclables. The new legislation will make recycling a priority and sets a statewide goal to recycle or reuse 60% of its waste by 2024.
• The bill will rename the Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority, operator of a Hartford WTE facility, as the Materials Innovation and Recycling Authority. As reported by NBC Connecticut, a new non-profit council is considering redeveloping the plant, which has succumbed to lower energy prices.

Dive Insight:

Connecticut is pushing ahead in an attempt to modernize its approach to waste and recycling. This is a step toward reaching its environmental goals. In May of 2013, Connecticut became one of the first states to pass a mattress recycling bill into law in an effort to reduce illegally-dumped mattresses littering the state. A separate law addressed the recycling of these bulky items, and put a stewardship program in place. According to NBC Connecticut, the governor's office estimates that raising the recycling rate from 24.8% to 40% could save the state $35 million per year.