Bristol, CT Trash & Recycling: Recycling Requirements (2026)

Section 10-7 lets the Board of Public Works 'institute bi-weekly (once every two (2) weeks) curbside collection of household recyclables materials from residential dwelling units,' covering the same single-through-five-unit residential properties as the rubbish program in § 10-6, and only material meeting the Code's definition of 'acceptable curbside collected recycling' at § 10-2 qualifies. Subsection (a) requires city-issued recycling containers; the department will not collect recycling placed in any other bin. Subsection (b) sets the same placement window as rubbish, curbside no sooner than 3:00 p.m. the day before collection and no later than 6:00 a.m. on collection day, at least five feet from obstructions, with the empty container off the curb within twelve hours.

Subsection (c) requires all recyclable material to sit loose in the container rather than bagged, and the barrel lid must stay closed. As with rubbish, city-issued recycling barrels damaged through normal wear are repaired or replaced at city expense, each residential unit gets one barrel, and additional barrels cost a board-approved fee. The department schedules the biweekly pickup day and, together with the board, may revise it for city holidays, and nonresidential and out-of-city properties are handled the same way as under § 10-6, with non-Bristol curbside service limited to properties adjacent to the city line or on an existing route.