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

Section 176-7(A) applies to any person who generates solid waste from residential property, specifically including condominiums and residential rental units, and requires them to separate designated recyclables from the rest of their trash and place it curbside for collection in the manner the chapter requires. Section 176-7(C) breaks the sorting down further: clear glass food and beverage containers go in their own bin, not commingled with anything else; other glass and all metal food and beverage containers share a separate bin; newspapers, cardboard and office paper must go in paper bags, uncommingled; and leaves, storage batteries, waste oil and scrap metal must go to disposal sites the City designates rather than the curb.

The City supplies one initial set of recycling containers per dwelling unit under Section 176-7(D), and the occupant must label it with the unit's address the first time it goes out. Those containers stay City property under Section 176-7(E): if you move, you leave them for the next occupant, and a lost or damaged bin must be replaced through the Department of Public Works or its designated supplier. Collectors must handle the bins so they stay usable, per Section 176-7(F). Section 176-7(G) sets the penalty at up to $1,000 per violation, with each separate activity its own offense, and lets any police officer or a person the Chief Executive Officer authorizes issue the citation.