Norwalk, CT Trash & Recycling: Collection Schedule (2026)

Chapter 94 makes solid waste control a governmental function "for the protection of the public health, safety and welfare," and the City is authorized to regulate disposal and license collectors (§ 94-1). Under § 94-5A, the owner or lessee of each residential dwelling must keep sufficient receptacles on the premises, not on the street or sidewalk, and acceptable solid waste eligible for City pickup may only be stored in City-provided containers; loose material is never collected, plastic bags are barred, and each container must have its lid closed and weigh no more than 75 pounds when full.

Section 94-5B requires owners to keep those containers in good repair and promptly replace ones no longer fit for use; containers the Director of Operations and Public Works finds to be a sanitary or accident hazard may be confiscated and destroyed without compensation. Commercial premises get a separate rule under § 94-5D: they must provide their own receptacles and cannot store solid waste on-site for more than seven days. Because collection is licensed and City-run, § 94-8 makes it unlawful for anyone other than a City employee, a Director-licensed hauler, or the actual waste producer to collect or transport solid waste on Norwalk streets.

An uncontainerized pile of waste left on a property is declared a nuisance outright, and failing to clear it within seven days of written notice by registered mail is itself a separate violation under § 94-6A(2).