New Britain, CT Trash & Recycling: Pickup Rules & Schedules (2026)
Key Facts
- Garbage prep
- Drain free liquids before container
- Rubbish sorting
- Combustible kept apart from incombustible
- Recycling
- Sorted per DPW guidelines, kept separate
- Curb material
- Cannot be removed once set out
- Container standard
- Rodent/insect-proof, watertight, covered
- General penalty
- $150 fine, per-day violation
Summary
New Britain residents must drain garbage of liquids, keep combustible rubbish separate from incombustible rubbish, sort recyclables by department of public works guidelines, and never pull rubbish or recyclables back off the curb once it is set out for collection.
Whenever in this Code or any other ordinance of the city ... where no specific penalty is provided, the violation ... shall be punished by a fine not exceeding one hundred fifty dollars ($150.00). Each day any such violation shall continue shall constitute a separate offense. ... (a)Garbage. All garbage, before being placed in a suitable container for collection, shall be drained of all free liquids.(b)Rubbish. Combustible rubbish shall be wholly separate and apart from incombustible rubbish. ... (d)Sorting generally. Each household being serviced by the city's curbside disposal system shall be required to sort recyclables in accordance with department of public works guidelines.(e)Separation of recyclable materials. Recyclable material shall be disposed of separated from all other garbage, rubbish and wastes. ... No person shall remove any incombustible and combustible rubbish or recyclable material placed at the curb for the purpose of collection by the city or its authorized contractor.
Full Breakdown
Section 11-3 of the Code of Ordinances lays out the precollection practices every household and business must follow before refuse reaches the curb. Garbage must be drained of all free liquids before it goes into a container, per subsection (a); combustible rubbish, defined in section 11-1 as waste that burns at eighteen hundred degrees Fahrenheit or below with no dimension over three feet, must stay wholly separate from incombustible rubbish such as ashes, scrap metal or masonry debris under subsection (b). Subsection (d) requires every household serviced by the city's curbside program to sort recyclables according to department of public works guidelines, and subsection (e) requires that recyclable material stay separated from all other garbage and rubbish rather than mixed together.
Section 11-5 backs this up with container specifications: refuse and rubbish containers must be rodent-proof, insect-proof, watertight, structurally strong, easy to fill and empty, fitted with tight covers, and kept clean and sanitary at all times. Once containers reach the curb, section 11-9 makes it illegal for anyone, including the resident who set them out, to remove incombustible or combustible rubbish or recyclable material placed there for collection by the city or its authorized contractor; that material belongs to the collection system until the truck takes it.
Violations & Fines
Section 11-3 and section 11-9 carry no dedicated fine, so a violation, from mixing rubbish streams to pulling material back off the curb, falls under the general penalty of section 1-15: up to one hundred fifty dollars, with every additional day of noncompliance treated as its own separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do New Britain residents have to sort their recycling?
Can I take something back out of my trash bin after I put it at the curb?
What container standards apply to New Britain trash and rubbish bins?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in New Britain
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