WATERBURY RECYCLING GOES
BIG

To upgrade recycling service for Waterbury residents, in 2017 Public Works delivered new recycling carts to the 31,000 homes which have curbside recycling and trash service

• These carts will be the same size as the current blue trash carts, allowing residents to recycle more easily the many items we use every day. 
• These carts will help Waterbury save money by reducing the amount of trash we have to pay to have burned at the waste-to-energy plant in Bristol. 
• These carts will help Waterbury residents bring more money to the City by recycling valuable paper, cans, bottles and cardboard so that they can be sold back to industry. 
• These carts will create American jobs as more material goes back to manufacturing.
• These carts will help us protect the environment by reducing pollution and saving resources.

Not bad for something you only need to put out once per week

 

FAQs

Who gets the new carts?
All registered households for whom Waterbury Public Works currently provides trash and recycling pick-up service received a cart. Multi-family dwellings under 11 units received carts if the City provides them with collection services.

When were the carts delivered?
Fall 2017

Have the carts helped Waterbury recycle more?
Yes! With the help of the carts, Waterbury residents now recycle more than twice as much paper, cardboard, cans and bottles as prior to the carts delivery! THANK YOU!

How do we get our recycling cart emptied?
Simply roll your cart to the curb each week on the same night that you put out your trash cart.  Please aim the front of your cart toward the street and keep the handles aimed away from the street.  Please make sure that recycling and trash carts are at least 2’ away from each other and other objects to allow for the collector to empty the carts without knocking either over (see diagram below).

What color are the Carts?
The recycling carts are green with yellow lids.  This special color combination will help residents as well as Public Works employees clearly identify recycling carts as different from blue trash carts.

How big are these new carts?
They are the same size as the blue trash carts:  95 gallons.

What do we recycle in the new recycling carts?
Recycle the same materials that go into your orange bin now:

• Paper – newspaper, magazines, color, white,
• Cardboard/paperboard - cartons, cereal boxes, pizza boxes (empty, but okay if minimal grease)
• Metal cans, trays, foil, empty food-related spray cans
• Hard plastic jars, bottles and containers (no bags, no foam)
• Glass bottles and jars – metal lids okay

What do we NOT put in the new recycling carts?
Please do not put these in your new recycling cart:

• Plastic bags (see next FAQ below)
• Styrofoam:  cups, plates, block, popcorn/peanuts
• Food
• Non-food spray cans such as paint or pesticide cans
• China, porcelain, plate glass
• Electronics
• Clothing
• Shredded paper
• Other Trash

Should we bag up our recyclables in plastic bags?
No!  Please never put plastic bags in your curbside recycling!  Plastic bags become tangled in the sorting equipment at the recycling centers and can prevent the contents from being sorted properly.  You may place papers in a paper shopping bag, however.

You may recycle plastic bags in specially-marked bins at the entrances to Shop Rite, Stop & Shop and Target retail stores.  More information is available at www.plasticfilmrecycling.org.

 

Where is the money coming from to buy all these carts?
Waterbury is receiving a zero interest loan from the Closed Loop Fund for the purchase of the carts and trucks.  We will pay the loan back over a number of years as we experience savings and increased recycling income.

 

What do we do with the old orange bin after we start using the new carts?
We suggest you keep your orange bin for use in bringing recyclables from your house to your recycling cart.

 

 

How do I get more information about recycling in Waterbury?
If you have questions please call the Refuse Bureau for Public Works:  203-574-6857.

You may also email questions to CJ May, Refuse/Recycling Coordinator: cmay@waterburyct.org.

To keep up with the many ways you can recycle other items in Waterbury follow Waterbury Recycling on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

Thank you

for reducing, reusing & recycling!