West Hartford, CT Trash & Recycling: Bin Placement Rules (2026)

Section 115-20 of Chapter 115, Litter and Community Appearance Standards, sets the physical and placement standards for household trash containers in West Hartford. Subsection B requires every refuse container to be rodentproof, insectproof, watertight, rust-free and structurally sound, with a tight-fitting cover that must be kept closed at all times, not just during collection. Subsection C sets a minimum capacity: each dwelling unit must have at least two twenty-gallon refuse containers, or more capacity if needed to hold what the occupants generate between collections. Subsection D allows plastic bags as liners inside a container but bans using them alone, outdoors and unprotected, for garbage or rubbish storage; a bag containing garbage or rubbish, other than leaves, grass clippings or hedge trimmings, that sits outside a container for more than 24 hours before or after collection day is itself a violation of the section.

Subsection E governs where containers and bulk containers can sit: they must be kept in back of the building line, except during a 72-hour window that opens the day before the scheduled collection day and closes the day after it, so residents cannot leave carts at the curb or in front of the house outside that window. The same subsection requires containers to be placed as far as practicable from any adjacent dwelling unit and requires practicable measures, cleaning the surrounding area and controlling odors, to avoid interfering with neighbors' health and safety. Bulk storage containers get an additional paved-surface and drainage requirement under Subsection A.