Greenwich, CT Trash & Recycling: Recycling Rules (2026)

Section 8A-4, Recycling required, imposes four separate duties. Subsection (a) requires every residential generator of solid waste, defined by reference to Chapter 446d of the Connecticut General Statutes, to separate recyclable materials from the rest of their trash. Subsection (b) extends the same separation duty to any generator of solid waste under Chapter 446. Subsection (c) is a two-way bar against including recyclable materials with refuse or refuse with recyclable materials. Subsection (d) prevents anyone, unless authorized by the Administrator, from delivering, dumping or depositing at the Town transfer station any refuse containing more than a negligible quantity of recyclable materials, a term Section 8A-17 defines as no more than one percent of the load by volume on visual inspection.

Refuse and recycling collectors share enforcement duties under Sections 8A-5 and 8A-6: a hauler who finds more than a negligible amount of recyclables in a refuse container must tag it with an Administrator-approved warning notice rather than collect it, and the Administrator can direct collectors to stop picking up from a property with a pattern of noncompliance. Section 8A-18 backs the whole chapter with penalties: any violation of Chapter 8A draws a citation or fine of up to one hundred dollars per offense, with each day a separate violation, and a commercial establishment that violates the Section 8A-4(b) separation duty specifically faces a fine of up to five hundred dollars per violation.