Senator Richard Blumenthal was in Ridgefield yesterday to celebrate a $2 million grant for Housatonic Resources Recovery Authority from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.  HRRA will launch a local composting system aimed at improving local food waste management and reducing the carbon footprint. This will be the first municipality-based self-sustaining closed loop system to manage food waste while utilizing the end-product for community and agricultural use.  Blumenthal says only five percent of food is composted in the U-S and as a result, uneaten food is the single largest component of municipal solid waste.  Blumenthal says 160 billion pounds of food goes to waste every year in the U.S.