Connecticut Faces Waste Management Crisis, Proposed Incinerator Draws Criticism
Connecticut is grappling with a significant waste management crisis, generating more household trash than it can dispose of within its borders. The problem intensified with the 2022 closure of the Hartford MIRA waste-to-energy facility, which previously processed approximately 15% of the state's municipal solid waste (MSW). In 2024, the state produced nearly 2.3 million tons of MSW, with 41% being shipped to out-of-state landfills. This situation has led to skyrocketing municipal tipping fees and property taxes, with Hamden's tipping fee budget nearly doubling from $1.1 million in 2019 to $2.15 million in 2022. A proposed gasification plant by SMART Technology, LLC in Plainfield, intended to replace the MIRA incinerator, has been met with public opposition and its application was withdrawn, though the company intends to resubmit. Critics argue that this gasification technology is unproven for household waste on a commercial scale in the U.S. and has a history of failures in Europe.
