- Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority
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Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority 
Territory Connecticut, USA Leadership Thomas D. Kirk, President Appointment 2003 Founded 1973 HQ 100 Constitution Plaza, 6th floor
Hartford, Connecticut 06103-7722Budget $5,711,200 (FY 2011) Website http://www.crra.org Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority is a collective of area towns and cities for the single-source recycling processing and sale of recyclable waste. It oversees the operation of four of the state's six trash-to-energy plants. The plants are located in Hartford, Bridgeport, Wallingford and Preston. The four plants generated 1.1 billion kilowatt hours of Class II green power in 2004.[1]
Contents
Recycled resources
The CRRA recovery facilities recycle post-consumer waste in a mixed solid waste stream, sorting by manual and mechanical methods to prepare the resources for the end-user.
Can recycling at a similar facility
Recycled resources generate revenues, but they also save energy. How much depends on the material: some materials such as aluminum, carpet, and copper consume so much energy in production, that recycling these energy-intensive products results in large energy savings. For example, a 2005 report by the Environmental Protection Agency estimates that one ton of aluminum can recycling saves 209 million BTUs, which is equivalent to 36 barrels (5.7 m3) of oil. The same report provides statistics for other materials: carpeting—106 million Btu (18 barrels (2.9 m3) of crude oil); copper wire—83.1 million Btu (14 barrels); high-density polyethylene milk jugs—51.4 million Btu (8.9 barrels); steel cans--20.5 million Btu (3.5 barrels); newspaper—16.9 million Btu (2.9 barrels); and glass--2.7 million Btu (0.47 barrels)[2]
Recycling also preserves natural resources. About 20 trees are needed to produce one ton of virgin paper and on average Americans use about 730 pounds of paper (approximately a third of a ton) per year.[2]
Recycling everything is not possible. When it comes to disposal of the remaining waste, environmentalists favor sending it to an incineration plant rather than a landfill where it can pollute the soil, water, and air through contamination and excess methane production.[3]
Trash-to-energy
In the United States, 64% of refuse is placed in landfills, 29% is recycled, and only about 7% generated energy. This is in contrast to some European countries where recycling and trash-to-energy processing is around 40-50%.[3] Waste is converted to energy when the heat generated by burning trash is directed to boil water for steam to spin turbines. The electricity created by the spinning turbines is harnessed and sold to the region's electrical grid.
In the early 1990s, the Clean Air Act increased regulations on trash-burning facilities causing the number of plants to shrink from more than 1,100 in 1990 to fewer than 90 today. Connecticut is host to six of those facilities, in part due to a conscious commitment to reduce the number of landfill developments and find environmentally responsible means to manage the state's waste.[3]
Under the leadership of Governor Thomas J. Meskill, the General Assembly created the Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority in 1973 with the passage of Public Act 73-549. Bridgeport was selected for the site of the CRRA's first regional trash-to-energy (TTE) project.[4] Connecticut will be the first state in the United States without an active municipal solid waste landfill when a 171-acre (0.69 km2) landfill in Windsor closes, which is slated to happen in 2012.[3]
Educational outreach
The CRRA operates two museums and a number of educational programs to provide hands-on recycling and environmental education programs to children and adults. The outreach program coordinates in-school programs, scout tours, displays at public events, and offers lendable environmental educational kits for teachers and group leaders. In 2002, CRRA was awarded the Beth Brown Boettner Award by the National Recycling Coalition for outstanding public education.[5]
The Garbage Museum
Opened in 1993, the Garbage Museum features a "Trash-O-Saurus" displayed in the middle of the building. It is a dinosaur made entirely from discarded items salvaged from landfills and trash bins, and it represents the amount of trash one person generates in a year.[6] The museum has a sky-walk observation hallway above the recycling center with a self-guided tour that steps the museum visitor through the tipping and sorting process. From the walkway, visitors can watch recycling collection trucks dump their loads and see how glass, plastic bottles, metal, paper and cardboard are sorted, crushed or baled. The museum features mostly hands-on activities, such as the "trash-o-saurus" scavenger hunt where you find specified items on the dinosaur and a game-show trivia exhibit, where a wrong answer will shower you in recyclables.
Until 2009, funding for the CRRA Garbage Museum came from revenues generated from the sale of recyclables processed at the CRRA facility. With the downturn in economy, and the cancellation of a six town contracts and the lower prices for commodities sold, the CRRA was no longer able to generate enough revenue to fund the museum's costs.[7] As of late 2010, the Garbage Museum is still open to the public, but now charges a modest entrance fee.
The Garbage Museum is located at 1410 Honeyspot Road Extension in Stratford, Connecticut.
The Trash Museum
Open in 1995, the Mid-Connecticut Project Trash Museum is a 6,500 sq ft (600 m2). educational exhibits. It features a sculpture of reclaimed garbage called the "temple of trash."[6] Real-time recycling operations are displayed on close-circuit television in the mezzanine of the museum. As of late 2010, the Trash Museum remains funded and open to the public without charge.
References
- ^ Wood, Stephen (27 September 2007). "31. CRRA Trash Museum". Connecticut Museum Quest. Connecticut Museum Quest. http://www.ctmuseumquest.com/?page_id=1245. Retrieved 24 September 2010.
- ^ a b Wilson, Alex (23 June 2010). "Saving Energy by Recycling". Green Building Advisor. Taunton Press. http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/energy-solutions/saving-energy-recycling. Retrieved 22 September 2010.
- ^ a b c d Moran, Dave (31 October 2009). "Trash-burning plant due for 'green' upgrade". The Record-Journal. The Record-Journal. http://www.myrecordjournal.com/latestnews/article_635b557f-7742-5fb0-bcf5-c6ed79b323eb.html. Retrieved 22 September 2010.
- ^ "Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority Timeline". CRRA Profile. http://www.crra.org/pages/timeline.htm. Retrieved 27 September 2010.
- ^ Muir, Julie (9 September 2002). "National Recycling Coalition's Outstanding School Program Award". Stanford Recycling Center website. Stanford University. http://recycling.stanford.edu/whatsnew/award.html. Retrieved 8 September 2010.
- ^ a b Gopal, Sapna. "What’s on display? Junked trash!". Planet Earth. Gateway Media Pvt. Ltd.. http://www.planetearth-india.com/planetearth/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=254%3Awhats-on-display-junked-trash&catid=58%3Awaste-management&Itemid=172. Retrieved 22 September 2010.
- ^ CRRA Facts about the Future of the Garbage Museum
External links
- The Garbage Museum Channel on YouTube.com
- Phillup D. Bag educational website of the CRRA mascot
Topics related to waste management Anaerobic digestion · Composting · Downcycling · Eco-industrial park · Incineration · Landfill · Materials recovery facility · Mechanical biological treatment · PullApart · Radioactive waste · High-level radioactive waste management · Recycling · Regift · Reuse · Septic tank · Sewerage · Sewage regulation and administration · Upcycling · Waste · Waste collection · Waste hierarchy · Waste legislation · Waste management · Waste management concepts · Waste sorting · Waste treatmentCategories:- Recycling in the United States
- Waste management in the United States
- Visitor attractions in Connecticut
- Children's museums in Connecticut
- Museums in Hartford County, Connecticut
- Stratford, Connecticut
- Museums in Fairfield County, Connecticut
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