Southeastern Connecticut Council of Governments

Sophie Leone • September 24, 2024

The Southeastern Connecticut Council of Governments (SCCOG) is a public agency with representatives from twenty-two towns, cities, and boroughs, formed to provide a basis for intergovernmental cooperation in dealing with a wide range of issues. The primary focuses of the agency are centered around regional planning and extend to transportation, environmental, and inter-municipal planning. SCCOG undertakes numerous studies and initiatives each year, under the guidance of its member municipalities.


The most recent report released by SCCOG is their Municipal Solid Waste Report. At the direction of its Solid Waste Subcommittee, SCCOG staff analyzed municipal solid waste data in the southeastern Connecticut region, including disposal tonnage and municipal cost data, for the five-year period from 2018-2022. The report highlights the cost and infrastructure challenges that municipalities are facing, while also providing some potential solutions and next steps to tackling the waste crisis.


“Connecticut’s solid waste crisis is impacting southeastern Connecticut municipalities, residents, and businesses. Our region has historically taken a proactive approach to solid waste management, and SCCOG seeks to support this approach by becoming a member of the Northeast Recycling Council. Participating in the Organics Management Committee especially will allow us to collaborate and exchange ideas with others facing similar issues, and collectively advance sustainable organic waste management practices.” – Amanda Kennedy, SCCOG Executive Director.


NERC is pleased to welcome the Southeastern Connecticut Council of Governments to its team of Supporting Advisory Members. We look forward to working with SCCOG and providing the necessary tools and support to their expansive community and network.

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September 17, 2025
The City of Medford won the 2025 Environmental Leadership Award for Outstanding Community presented by the Northeast Recycling Council, for its innovative work to reduce waste and create a more sustainable waste collection system through the City’s free curbside composting program. “I'm thankful to our team at City Hall, the Solid Waste Taskforce, our consultants Strategy Zero Waste and our volunteers for working so hard to launch our curbside composting program and making it such a meaningful success for our community,” Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn said. “This award shows that the work we’re doing in both composting and recycling is having real, transformative effects on how our community thinks about waste and the steps we’re taking to create a more sustainable environment for the future. We are honored to be recognized by the Northeast Recycling Council for these efforts.” Each year, NERC honors a community, an organization, and an individual for their outstanding contributions to recycling education and innovation. This year will mark the 9th annual Environmental Leadership Awards Ceremony, recognizing individuals and organizations who help further NERC’s waste and recycling goals. “Our committee is wholeheartedly impressed by the work of the City of Medford, and how important and impactful that work is for the community,” said Sophie Leone, Development and Program Manager at NERC. “It is a perfect representation of NERC’s mission to minimize waste, conserve natural resources, and advance a sustainable economy through facilitated collaboration and action and we are very excited to bestow the City of Medford with this award.” You can read more about the Environmental Leadership Awards here . And if you haven’t signed up for Medford’s free curbside composting program, you can do that at medfordcomposts.com . Read on MedfordMA.org.
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