Vermont Prison Becomes a Recycling and Composting Trailblazer

We spend so much time here at TriplePundit talking about how companies and universities are becoming more sustainable, it is easy to forget the sustainability agenda is going on everywhere, and yes, that includes government. To that end, more prisons are making moves to become more environmentally responsible. The latest is the Northwest State Corrections Facility in Swanton, Vermont. Recently the women’s prison, which incarcerates over 200 prisoners, announced it had become compliant with the state’s 2012 solid waste and recycling law.

Considering the depressing statistic that almost one in 100 American adults is behind bars, there is plenty of work to do on this front. From deliveries to food to water consumption, these facilities, operating 24/7 just as a small town does, provide plenty of opportunities to reduce waste and save money. Washington State, for example, partners with one of its state universities to implement recycling and sustainability programs within its correctional facilities. So what exactly is going on in this corner of New England?

Citing diminishing landfill space, Vermont’s legislature passed Act 148, “Universal Recycling of Solid Waste” law two years ago. The law has set a timeline for recyclable materials to be sorted by homes and businesses, while all organic waste must be sent to composting facilities by summer 2015. Vermont is the first state in the U.S. to ban food scraps, pre-and post-consumer, from entering municipal landfills.

According to a Vermont government press release, the process appeared relatively simple. New containers and sorting systems collected all metals, plastics and glass while other containers were set up for food scraps. That food waste is in turn collected by a local company, Green Mountain Compost, which has its roots in collecting waste from Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream. Green Mountain has 10 acres of land where the eventual compost is sold to residents and businesses. Northwest State Corrections Facility reached its waste diversion goal one year early, and the state will replicate the sorting system to the other prisons throughout Vermont.

No word on the involvement of the actual involvement of the prisoners with Vermont’s recycling and composting initiatives. Assumedly their role is to make sure the right recyclables go into the correct bins, but there are some opportunities for jobs and skills training here. New Mexico, for example, is testing out a program that will train inmates to churn old wooden pallets into toys; shredding old towels and robes into stuffing for stuffed animals is another project under consideration. The stubborn fact is that landfill space is disappearing everywhere—and the size of the U.S. prison system makes it just one more role player in managing our resources wisely.

After a year in the Middle East and Latin America, Leon Kaye is based in California again. Follow him on Instagram and Twitter. Other thoughts of his are on his site, greengopost.com.

Image credit: Michael Letour