Holiday Recycling Bag Brigade Begins

The holiday season’s brown bag brigade went to work with speed and experience on Friday and in about two hours prepared 4,000 recycling paper bags, all with newly attached green stickers. Branford volunteers were joined by North Branford kids and parents who made their debut.

The bags will be distributed Wednesday to the town’s schools in time for students to take them home for Christmas this Sunday. The bags may be picked up by the public at town hall, and the town’s churches. After Christmas, all a family has to do is place the brown bag out to the curb 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 20 volunteers affixed bright green labels to the bags. The labels give directions for residents on what goes in the bag and what is not recyclable. Christal Esposito of North Branford joined the crew for the first time, along with her son Shane, 9, in blue shirt and Grayson Nichols, 9, both fourth graders.

The town of North Branford is joining Branford in the effort this year, and the two towns even co-produced a Public Service Video now airing on BCTV and Totoket TV. The video explains the differences in the way the two towns recycle, gives examples of both recyclable and non-recyclable items and shows North Branford residents how easy it will be join in. Shane took part in the video production. To view the video, go to: https://vimeo.com/194189189

The tall brown paper bags should be filled with holiday wrapping paper, gift boxes, tissue paper, and holiday cards after Christmas ends Sunday. No non-paper products are allowed, which includes plastic, foil or Mylar wrapping papers, bows, ribbons, Styrofoam, or corrugated cardboard. (Corrugated cardboard can be included with items that are regularly recycled.)

This is the fourth year the town of Branford is collecting bags. The idea was the brainchild of Etta Hanlon, who decided that holiday wrapping paper should be recycled, not thrown out with the garbage. Recycling brings the town money; collecting the holiday paper as garbage costs the town money. North Branford’s process is different from Branford’s.

This year the event was led by BHS freshman Eli Hanlon, Etta brother. He is a freshman at Branford High School and is taking over for Etta, who is now freshman in college. Eli also participated in the BCTV and Totoket TV programs. Dan McGowan, supervisor of Branford’s Solid Waste and Recycling Center, was there with his family, affixing stickers to bags. Etta, now 18, began the program four years ago with McGowan’s guidance. Soon Eli and McGowan will be working together. 

Etta grew up in a house that recycled everything. When she was 14 she realized that her family’s holiday wrapping paper 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 it out for garbage. Recycling brings the town money; collecting the holiday paper as garbage costs the town money, she said. Here Deborah Conklin and her husband, Don Conklin, a member of the RTM, pitch in as they do every year. 

Soon she appeared before the town’s Representative Town Meeting (her Dad, Doug Hanlon was then a member of the legislative body.) McGowan loved the idea. They both outlined the program at the RTM and the RTM gave the program life, along with a $2,000 grant.

Later 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 North Branford. Someday, more towns and perhaps even cities may join the program.

When Etta returned for the annual paper bag party at the Community House Friday, she said it felt great to be putting stickers on bags again. She had left Syracuse University earlier in the day to make sure she would get home to Branford for the bag party. It was good to be home, she told the Eagle.

Among the workers was Peggy Carpenter, who lives near the Hanlon family in Short Beach.

Since it’s inception in 2013 when Etta was a high school sophomore, the holiday recycling program has converted approximately 50 tons of paper products from trash to recycling. When asked if she had any advice for her brother as he accepted more responsibility as the program moves forward, Etta answered ​“My advice would be to believe in himself, if you listen to everyone telling you you’re too young or too inexperienced to do something you’ll never get anywhere”.

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