Chicopee, MA Trash & Recycling: Recycling Requirements (2026)

Chapter 223 of the Chicopee Code was adopted by the Board of Aldermen, now the City Council, on 12-18-2001 as Ord. No. 01-103 and replaced a 1986 recycling chapter. Section 223-1(A) establishes a program for the mandatory separation of certain recyclable material from garbage and rubbish by the residents of the City of Chicopee, with collection of recyclables at the residents' curbside. Collection is made periodically under the supervision of the Superintendent of Public Works.

Coverage is universal. Under § 223-1(B), all buildings are included, and each homeowner, property owner or property manager must provide, or cause to be provided, recycling receptacles to each residential unit that meet the minimum standards set by the Chicopee Department of Public Works, unless the City supplies them through grant or other programs. Section 223-1(C) extends the chapter to units and properties served by City Sanitation Collection and to those served by private hauling services alike. The stated purpose in § 223-1(D) is to comply with 310 CMR 19.017, the Commonwealth's waste bans on disposing of certain items at solid waste facilities, landfills and incinerators.

The program splits by who picks up the trash. Single-family through four-family properties served by the City follow § 223-5(A): biweekly collection by the DPW Sanitation Department recycling crews on the rubbish collection schedule in § 169-12, using blue bins of between 14 and 18 gallons. Multifamily properties, defined as five or more residential units, must give tenants access to a recycling program with collection at least once every two weeks. They must tell tenants about the program when renting or leasing and at least annually, contract with a hauler authorized by the Board of Health, and file a multifamily recycling plan form with the DPW. That form is due by each July 1. Buildings that do not receive City collection must contract with a properly licensed hauler permitted in Chicopee and pay all costs (§ 223-3(B)).

If the City runs short of bins, § 223-3(A)(3) gives residents 30 days to obtain a suitable replacement, and § 223-3(A)(4) gives owners or managers of buildings holding City toters 45 days.