Hamden, CT Trash & Recycling: Pickup Rules & Schedules (2026)

Hamden's Legislative Council sets collection hours in Chapter 94 of the Town Code of Ordinances. Section 94.06 states that collection of refuse, solid waste, or recyclable materials must occur between 6:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m., a rule adopted by Ordinance 569 in 2009. A related nuisance provision, § 94.05, bars transporting or keeping refuse, filth, garbage, offal, or manure within town in a manner that injures others or creates a public or private health nuisance, and empowers the Director of Health to issue reasonable regulations for handling those substances.

Anyone in the business of collecting, storing, or removing refuse in Hamden, whether a commercial hauler or subcontractor, must first obtain a permit from the Director of Public Works under § 94.38(A) before operating; unpermitted collection is itself a separate violation apart from any hours infraction. The hours rule applies town-wide to every hauler, including the town's own contracted collector, and covers trash, recyclables, and other solid waste alike, not just household garbage. Residents who hear trucks running curbside collection before 6:00 a.m. or after 8:00 p.m. can report the specific address and time to Public Works, since the ordinance ties enforcement to the collection window itself rather than to a particular day of the week.