Trash & Recycling in Meriden, CT (2026)
7 verified trash & recycling rules for Meriden, Connecticut, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Bin Placement Rules
Meriden Code § 176-6 requires garbage to stay in approved, closed containers on the premises, with curbside set-out no more than 24 hours before collection. Garbage cannot sit in storage more than seven days, and once emptied, containers must come off the street within 24 hours and be stored where the public street cannot see them.
Meriden Garbage Container Storage and Set-Out
Some RestrictionsMeriden Code § 176-6(A), (E)
All garbage shall be stored on the premises and shall be kept in approved containers which shall be maintained in good condition and which shall be kept closed at all times. Said containers shall not be placed at curbside for the scheduled collection more than 24 hours prior to said collection. Garbage shall not be stored by a person for more than seven days, exclusive of holidays. If special c...
Bulk Item Disposal
Meriden's Department of Public Works runs the bulky waste pickup program under City Code Chapter 176. DPW regulations set which items count as bulky waste and how residents must set them out, and the rest of the chapter, including storage rules and citation authority, still applies during a bulky pickup. Violators face a citation of up to $250 per day.
Meriden Bulky Waste Pickup Rules
Some RestrictionsMeriden Code § 176-1(C), (E)
The provisions of this chapter may be enforced by citation, in addition to other remedies. ... Unless otherwise specified, the following persons have authority to issue citations for violations pursuant to this chapter: Meriden police officer, Director of Public Works, sanitarian, Director of Health and Human Services, Associate Director of Health or the Environmental Health Administrator. Viol...
Recycling Requirements
Meriden Code § 176-7 requires every residential generator, including condos and rental units, to separate out recyclables designated by the state Commissioner of Environmental Protection and set them out at the curb the way the City schedules. Violators of the separation rules face a fine of up to $1,000 per incident under the same section.
Meriden Residential Recycling Requirements
Some RestrictionsMeriden Code § 176-7(A), (G)
Any person who generates solid waste from residential property, specifically including but not limited to condominiums and residential rental units, shall separate from the other solid waste items designated for recycling by the Commissioner of Environmental Protection. This residential recyclable solid waste shall be further separated by the generator and placed in containers or packaged for c...
Illegal Dumping
City Code § 176-3 bans throwing, scattering or dumping litter on public property, on private property you do not own, or in the City's waters, including streets, parks and sidewalks. Violators face a fine of up to $1,000 per incident, and each separate act of littering or dumping counts as its own offense under Meriden's ordinance.
Meriden Illegal Dumping and Littering Fines
Heavy RestrictionsMeriden Code § 176-3(A), (C)
Pursuant to the provisions of Connecticut General Statutes, § 22a-250(a), as amended, no person shall throw, scatter, spill or place or cause to be blown, scattered, spilled, thrown or placed, or otherwise dispose of any litter upon any public property in the City of Meriden or upon private property in the City of Meriden not owned by said person or in the waters of the City of Meriden, includi...
Dumpster Rules
Businesses, rental properties and buildings with more than four units that use dumpster service in Meriden must arrange their own solid waste and recycling removal under Code § 176-6(E). Waste has to go out at regular, frequent intervals, no less often than the chapter otherwise requires, whether the property handles it directly or through a permitted collector.
Meriden Commercial Dumpster Service Rules
Some RestrictionsMeriden Code § 176-6(E)
Any person residing in the outer district or having a place of business or rental units using dumpster service or tenements containing more than four units in the City shall be responsible for the removal of his solid waste and recyclable solid waste to a lawful place either by himself or by a lawful collector. Solid waste and recyclable solid waste shall be disposed of at regular and frequent ...
Collection Schedule
Meriden's City Council, not a private schedule, decides how solid waste gets collected under § 176-1.D of the Solid Waste, Recycling and Littering ordinance. Before the City hires or contracts for collection, the Council must adopt a resolution setting the collection districts, the method and frequency of pickup, bonding requirements and other rules needed for residents' health and safety.
Meriden City Council Sets Trash Collection
Light RestrictionsMeriden Code § 176-1.D
D. Power of the City Council. The City Council shall take such measures as it deems effectual for the removal or collection of solid waste, garbage, rubbish, recyclable solid waste and waste materials from the City and may, in such years when a determination and sufficient appropriation for the same has been made for such purpose, employ or make contracts with one or more persons or corporation...
Recycling Rules
Since January 1, 1991, every Meriden property that is not residential, meaning commercial, industrial or business generators, must separate cardboard, glass and metal food containers, leaves, newspaper, storage batteries, waste oil, scrap metal and office paper from the rest of its trash under Code § 176-8. Noncompliance carries a fine of up to $1,000 per violation.
Meriden Commercial Recycling Requirements
Some RestrictionsMeriden Code § 176-8(A), (D), (F)
On and after January 1, 1991, any person who generates solid waste from other than residential property shall make provisions for the separation from other solid waste of the items designated for recycling by the Commissioner of Environmental Protection. ... Owners of commercial, industrial, business, or nonresidential property where recyclable solid waste is generated shall provide sufficient ...