The Newtown Recycling Ad Hoc Committee is looking for residents to complete an online survey to better understand how the curbside recycling program is utilized throughout town.

The survey is meant to help the Ad Hoc Committee make an “educated decision about curbside recycling,” as Chris Gardner, Ad Hoc Committee member, said.

“It [is] really our intent to use [the survey] as a listening tool,” Gardner stated. “[We] really want to give people the opportunity to weigh in on [recycling].”

Gardner also shared that the Legislative Council, of which he is also a member, is being “inundated with emails from residents” saying how much they love the curbside recycling program.

All the members of the Recycling Ad Hoc Committee helped create the survey with help from Jennifer Heaton-Jones, executive director of the Housatonic Resource Recovery Authority (HRRA).

“The HRRA did recommend to the Newtown Recycling Ad Hoc Committee to issue a survey to the residents of the town to help them in the process of determining which direction they would go in for the future of curbside recycling,” Heaton-Jones said. “The purpose of the survey is really to help them understand what residents have for service now, how much they are taking advantage of the town-wide curbside recycling program … what other resources [residents] are utilizing in the town between private haulers and the town’s Transfer Station.”

She further explained the survey is meant to guide the committee in making the right decision for the town and its residents.

Heaton-Jones added that “everyone should take the survey and be absolutely honest,” a sentiment Gardner echoed.

Gardner said, “Most people really like [curbside recycling by town haulers], but there are some that say, ‘You know what? There are other ways to get rid of our recyclables and we don’t need it in our taxes. We want to hear from those people, too.”

Heaton-Jones wants to remind readers that “everyone will continue to have a choice,” and the decision to cut or keep the curbside recycling program provides the town an “opportunity for growth,” and “for the town to provide a better service to the residents.”

The survey is very short and should not take more than five minutes to complete. As of Monday, March 10, Gardner said there were almost 700 responses and that the Recycling Ad Hoc Committee will read every response. The survey will remain open until Monday, March 31.

A link to the survey is posted on the town website, newtown-ct.gov, as well as the HRRA website, hrra.org/information-newtown-sayt.

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Reporter Sam Cross can be reached at sam@thebee.com.