Ledyard ― The Town Council has approved the start of a free food scrap recycling pilot program that began Tuesday.

Blue Earth Compost of Hartford will be placing food scrap collection bins at the town’s transfer station, located at 889 Colonel Ledyard Highway. The program is free to residents with a proof of residency.

According to a news release, Blue Earth will collect the food scraps and haul them to Quantum Biopower, an anaerobic digester in Southington.

In 21 days, Quantum converts the food scraps into compost, which contains a methane byproduct. That biogas generates electricity for the town of Southington.

Ledyard pays to have its trash incinerated at the Wheelabrator facility in Lisbon. Data shows that about 22% of the waste is food. The goal is to reduce the amount of waste by removing food from the trash.

Acceptable items include fruits, vegetables, meat, poultry and bones, fish/shellfish and shells, dairy products, bread, pasta, rice, grains, eggs, eggshells, chips and snacks, nuts and seeds, left over and spoiled food, coffee grounds, tea bags (no staples), paper towels and napkins used for food production (not for cleaning), cut flowers and pet food.

Starter kits are available at the transfer station and during the Ledyard Farmers Market on Aug. 21 from 4 to 7 p.m. on the Town Green.

The first 100 residents can get a roll of 25 compostable bags and a larger 6-gallon bin to place food scraps for free by visiting: https://www.ledyardct.org/191/Transfer-Station. Starter kits are not required in order to participate.