Hamden, CT Trash & Recycling: Yard Waste Collection (2026)

Under § 52.01 of the Hamden Code of Ordinances, the Town's Department of Public Works runs a mandatory leaf collection program requiring residents to keep leaves separate from ordinary refuse. Section 52.02 defines YARD WASTE as hedge trimmings, garden waste, branches or brush, but excludes grass clippings, tree stumps, tree roots and any tree branch over four inches in diameter, so bulkier limbs must be handled through a different disposal channel rather than curbside leaf pickup. During the declared leaf collection season set by the Director of Public Works, § 52.03 requires residents to bag leaves in paper leaf bags of up to 30-gallon capacity, two-ply, 50-pound wet-strength construction with a reinforced square bottom; tape, staples or string may not be used as a closure.

Bagged leaves must sit at the curb on the scheduled collection days without blocking a fire hydrant, sidewalk or driveway. Loose leaves left at the curb outside the collection window, or raked or blown into a street, violate the chapter. Leaves may never go into plastic bags or be mixed into refuse for trash pickup, and under Conn. Gen. Stat. § 22a-241(b) they cannot be landfilled or incinerated at all, so collectors must haul them to a state-approved compost facility. Any commercial collector delivering leaves or yard waste to a facility inside the town needs a Department of Public Works permit, with fees set by the Legislative Council.

Residents unable to bag and haul their own leaves may apply to the Mayor's office for an exemption allowing loose curbside piles, renewable yearly. The Director of Public Works enforces the chapter by written or certified-mail notice describing the violation and setting a compliance deadline before any fine issues.