nothin New Haven Independent | Etta Launches Holiday Recycling Brigade

Etta Launches Holiday Recycling Brigade

The holiday season’s brown bag brigade went to work with speed and determination last week. And in less than two hours 4,000 holiday recycling bags, all with newly attached green stickers, were prepared for town residents for Christmas Day holiday wrapping paper.

This is the third year the town is collecting brown paper bags, hopefully filled with holiday wrapping paper, gift boxes, tissue paper, and holiday cards. No non-paper products are allowed. This also means no plastic, foil or Mylar wrapping papers, bows, ribbons, Styrofoam, plastic or corrugated cardboard.

Friday’s brown bag and sticker event was led by BHS senior Etta Hanlon, founder of the town’s holiday recycling program, and Dan McGowan, the supervisor of Branford’s Solid Waste and Recycling Center. Etta, now 17, began the program three years ago with McGowan’s support. McGowan had high praise for the Girl Scouts and other young workers, he said, who worked quickly to affix the stickers.

Etta and the Soomro family and their kids, Manik, 15, and Saami,10. .

The bags are being distributed this week. They may be picked up at local schools, town hall, and the town’s churches, Etta told the Eagle. After Christmas, all a family has to do is place the brown bag out to the curb with other recyclables on their designated trash pick-up day. Need a second bag? Use another one and mark it wrapping paper.”

The marathon sticker party” took place at the Community House where some 30 volunteers – scouts, parents, family friends – pasted bright green labels to the bags. The bags outline the directions for residents on what goes in the bag and what stays out.

Ray Ingraham, Republican majority leader of the RTM, pitched in along with other RTM members.

So did the Short Beach neighbors of the Hanlons, Peggy and Greg Carpenter.

How An Idea Grew

Etta grew up in a home that recycled everything. Back when she was 14, she realized that her family’s holiday wrapping papers was treated like garbage and placed out on the curb in plastic bags for pick up. I thought that isn’t right. We recycle all the other paper in my house,” she said.
The idea was to recycle holiday paper instead of putting out for garbage. Recycling brings the town money; collecting the holiday paper as garbage costs the town money, she said.

Soon she appeared before the town’s Representative Town Meeting (her Dad, Doug Hanlon is a member of the legislative body.) She explained her idea. McGowan explained how the town could adopt the new program. The RTM approved the new program along with a $2,000 grant.

This year with the help of state Rep. Lonnie Reed, Etta pursued a state grant and was awarded $6,000 by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) to expand the program. The grant now includes a program for North Branford. She has also been honoroed by the state for her ingenuity. 

Nate Benson,9, at work.

And someday, both she and McGowan and Reed say they hope the state adopts it for all towns and cities.

Earlier this month Etta appeared before the RTM to inform the legislative body about the $6,000 state grant. 

Etta told the Eagle last week that she has learned a lot about leadership. I didn’t realize when I first went into it that there would be so much coordinating and things like that. It taught me how to organize and how to write a really good e‑mail. I have definitely matured a lot since I was 14,” she added. With the state grant, the funds for the program no longer come out of the town budget, she said. 

In 2013 the holiday recycling program collected 18 tons of holiday paper trash and last year it came in at 15 tons. As it turns out, there is a big difference between trash, which the town pays to incinerate, and recyclables, which the town sells for cash. This idea would and did bring cash back to the town.

Next year, Etta’s brother Eli (pictured left) will arrive at Branford High. He will take over the program, Etta says, since she is leaving for college. Here he is at work with his friend, Shane Dostie.

Earlier this week Etta spoke at an event to promote statewide use of Branford’s holiday recycling program. State Sen Ted Kennedy, Jr., who sponsored the media conference, outlined a new bill to work on an internet box delivery-to-the-door surge that is overwhelming transfer stations and raising costs for taxpayers. Click here to read the story.

Going Statewide?

Might Branford’s state legislators produce legislation for this to go statewide? It is possible. The state we hope may be interested, too. The grant package is part of our aim to reduce waste reduction by 6 percent,” McGowan said in an interview.

Everybody who celebrates the holidays produces this waste. The vast majority, I think, treat it as trash just like Branford did prior to this program. After our success the first year ( 2013) we had an invitation to meet with (DEEP) Commissioner (Rob) Klee and Rep. Reed was instrumental in that and we were talking about expanding this beyond Branford.

Then came the $6,000 recycling incentive grant came. I talked to Etta. This was our opportunity. She is a senior now and we wanted to do something new with it. We are expanding to North Branford and we are going to focus on the education aspect. We want people to know that is this is a recyclable product.”

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