 Interest in the museum also came from a group of East Haven High School students who produced a short documentary video about the Garbage Museum which won a state award and attracted some international interest.Prior to its close in 2011, the operating budget was $341,000, which funded staffing, educational programs, and the museum's heating and lighting.In July 2011, Milford's Board of Aldermen approved allocating $26,000 via a $0.75 tax per ton of municipal solid waste, then representing the latest addition to a $100,000 fundraising drive.