Trash/Recycling
Not sure if an item can be recycled? Go to the RecycleCT page to find out!
SOLID WASTE (TRASH)
The City provides solid waste collection for Inner Tax District residents with 4 or less dwelling units. All commercial property owners, inner city properties with five units and above, and residents located in the Outer Tax District are required to secure their own hauler.
Solid waste is collected from the Inner Tax District on a weekly basis. All solid waste must be curbside by 5 AM on the collection day. All solid waste must be in the City furnished 95 gallon container. Each residential unit located within the Inner District will be furnished with only one container.
Inner City trash is collected weekly, recycling is collected on yellow shaded weeks (see calendar):
All Waste, Inc. 2023 Recycling Calendar
All Waste Recyclable & Not Recyclable Items-- Click Here
CURBSIDE RECYCLING
Inner Tax District residences with four or less dwelling units must use the City provided 95 gallon container for their recycling. For residents located in the Outer Tax District with questions regarding the method of recycling collection (large bins vs small bins), please contact your hauler.
Recycling is collected from the Inner Tax District every other week. All 95-gallon containers must be at curbside in an accessible location by 5 AM on the collection day.
HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE
The City of Meriden is part of the Haz Waste Central which is located at the South Central Regional Water Authority, 90 Sargent Drive, New Haven. Click here to visit their site.
WHAT TO RECYCLE
Paper
Newspaper inserts, advertising flyers, magazines, envelopes (with/without windows), junk-mail, phone books, and white paper. Place all paper items in recycling container. Do not bundle or tie. Shredded paper is NOT accepted.
Cardboard
Including all types of cardboard, fiber board, cereal boxes, etc. Flatten boxes, cut large pieces small enough to fit loosely in container. Do not bundle or tie. Remove interior cellophane from inside boxes.
Food & Beverage Containers
Glass bottles, Number 1 through 7 plastic bottles/ trays, tin cans (no aerosol cans), wax cartons (milk, orange juice), aluminum cans, aluminum foil, aluminum food trays. Wash all containers, labels and neck rings don’t need to be removed, don’t break bottles, place in recycling container, no sorting required. Note plastic bottles can be clear or colored and include bleach bottles, detergent bottles, shampoos bottles, etc.
WHAT NOT TO RECYCLE
Dirty or contaminated recyclables (newspapers, paper towels, food waste, pizza boxes, etc), hard cover books, food & beverage containers NOT made of glass, tin, aluminum, or plastic, containers larger than 1 gallon. Medicine bottles, paint cans, packaging materials, foam egg cartons, tape, string, light bulbs, ceramics (bottles, dishes, flower pots, etc.), cookware, crystal, window or mirror glass, dishware, scrap metal, coat hangers, appliances, pots and/or pans, silverware, metal parts, needles, aerosol cans, bottles that contained antifreeze/motor oil/pesticides or similar toxic fluids, plastic toys, overnight envelopes, giveaway items (product samples/CD’s) greeting cards, wrapping paper, 6 pack cartons, post it notes or mail with pressure sensitive labels, styrofoam, black, plastic restaurant takeout containers, yellow tinted cardboard and yard waste (leaves, grass, brush, dirt).
POSITIVELY NO PLASTIC BAGS
*RECYCLING UPDATE - Inner and Outer District residents are asked to no longer put black plastic take-out containers into the recycling. They can be reused as much as possible, then should be put in the trash. To check if an item is recyclable, visit https://www.recyclect.com/. You can learn more about this update here: https://www.courant.com/.../hc-news-connecticut-recycling...
RECYCLING SHALL BE AT CURBSIDE NO LATER THAN 5:00 AM ON YOUR SCHEDULED DAY OF COLLECTION.
For more information about Meriden's Recycling Program, please call 203-630-4018.
"DONATE CARS 4 WISHES"
"Donate Cars 4 Wishes" is a car donation program that benefits Make-A-Wish® Connecticut by turning old cars into wishes granted for local kids. People in Connecticut can use this free resource for recycling or donating their old or unwanted vehicles including cars, trucks, motorcycles, SUVs, RVs and boats. At NO charge, they will tow away these vehicles and either recycle them or auction them with the proceeds benefiting the local Make-A-Wish Connecticut. Donate Your Car to "Donate Cars 4 Wishes" and receive free pick-up or towing of your vehicle, running or not, along with a great tax deduction.
Your car donation is made directly to Donate Cars 4 Wishes, an independent 501(c)(3) organization established to facilitate donations of automobiles to benefit charities in our community. DC4W will donate 70% of the net proceeds from the sale of your vehicle to children charities to help them grant wishes to children with life-threatening medical conditions.
"CARS TO CURE BREAST CANCER"
Donating your unwanted vehicle through Cars To Cure Breast Cancer will benefit The Breast Cancer Research Foundation by raising funds for breast cancer research and helping to spread breast cancer awareness. Donations are tax-deductible via this 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Vehicles are either auctioned off or they are reused and recycled to build new vehicles. All earned proceeds are then donated to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
For more info, go to http://www.carstocurebreastcancer.org/connecticut .