New Haven, CT Trash & Recycling: Recycling Requirements (2026)
Key Facts
- Mandatory materials
- Paper, cardboard, glass, metal, plastic
- Rinsing
- Required for food containers
- First offense
- Written warning
- Enforcing agency
- Dept. of Public Works
Summary
New Haven requires curbside separation of newspaper, cardboard, office paper, and rinsed glass, metal, and plastic food containers, plus scrap tires, from regular household trash.
All persons entitled to solid waste collection from residential buildings as set out in the immediately preceding section of this chapter shall place the following items for collection...: (i)Newspaper; (ii)Cardboard; (iii)Office paper; (iv)Glass food and beverage containers, which shall be rinsed clean of residue; (v)Metal food and beverage containers, which shall be rinsed clean of residue; (vi)Plastic food and beverage containers, which shall be rinsed clean of residue; and (vii)Scrap tires.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 31 | Zoning: Supplement 32).
Full Breakdown
Section 30¾-13(c) of the city code makes recycling mandatory, not optional, for every residence entitled to municipal collection. Newspaper, cardboard, office paper, glass food and beverage containers, metal food and beverage containers, and plastic food and beverage containers must go out separately from trash, and the three container categories must be rinsed clean of residue first. Scrap tires are also a designated recyclable. The Department of Public Works can add more required materials by regulation, and mixing recyclables into regular solid waste is a violation collectors are required to report.
Violations & Fines
Mixing designated recyclables into regular trash, contaminating recyclables, or an unauthorized person collecting recyclables set at the curb; residents get a written warning for a first offense and fines for repeat violations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is recycling mandatory in New Haven?
Do I need to rinse containers before recycling in New Haven?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in New Haven
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Recycling Requirements in Nearby Cities
How other cities in this county handle recycling requirements.