by Rick Blaine

Created on: October 22, 2009   Last Updated: April 18, 2011

Hartford, Connecticut is the home to the first public art museum in America - the renowned Wadsworth Atheneum, where the masterpieces in its collection are considered priceless. But Hartford is also the home to a museum at the other end of the spectrum, where everything in its collection was once considered worthless.

The Trash Museum in Hartford is operated by the Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority - the agency in charge of converting trash from 110 Connecticut cities and towns into energy. Visitors to the Trash Museum begin their experience at the Temple of Trash, the first exhibit in the 6500-square foot museum. Here, the problems inherent in old-fashioned waste disposal methods, like town dumps, are explained. Then, it's on to modern-day solutions to waste management problems, all revolving around the principals of "reduce, reuse and recycle."

The Trash Museum tour includes displays that discuss ways to reduce trash at the source, recycling products like paper, plastic and metals, and the process of turning trash into energy. A giant mural - 12 feet high and 36 feet wide - tells the history of garbage, from throwing it into the streets, to piling it in landfills, to burning it to generate power.

From the museum's viewing area, visitors can watch the Hartford facility's process of single-stream recycling as it takes place in the adjacent plant. At one time, the recyclable trash had to be brought in separately, with the paper, cardboard, plastic, glass and metal going to different parts of the facility. Now, automatic sorting equipment separates the trash quickly and easily - making recycling easier on the public and, hopefully, increasing participation by citizens of area cities and towns.

The Trash Museum offers programs for school children as well. Activities for kindergarten through third graders include arts and crafts with items normally thrown away, and a program on worms, "natures recyclers." Fourth through eighth graders can learn about Plastics 101, track the sources of natural resources around the world, or play Trash BINGO! More advanced programs for high school students and adults include "NIMBY," a role-playing game about the difficulty of land use issues and locating landfills when everyone is determined to ensure they are "not in my backyard."

The Trash Museum is operated by the Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority at its facility located at 211 Murphy Road in Hartford, Connecticut. It is open to the public from Wednesdays through Fridays year round, plus Tuesdays from June through September. Admission is free. Educator-led tours are available for school and scout groups by appointment.

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