Curbside Collection & Recycling

The Town of West Hartford strives to provide safe and reliable refuse and recycling services for all its eligible properties. Eligible properties are residential properties with (3) three or fewer dwelling units.

Refuse and Recycling collection services are contracted with All American Waste at 860-289-7850 based in East Granby, Connecticut. For the past 25 years, West Hartford's refuse has been delivered to a trash-to-energy plant, and we continue to do so with Convanta Industries located in Bristol, Connecticut.

Recycling is collected every other week (bi-weekly). Please refer to the collection schedule and street lookup.

A recycling cheatsheet with categories for food-related and not food-related items is displayed against a white background, with a blue banner at the bottom containing recycling instructions.

First page of the PDF file: Guide-Recycling

Guidelines for Recycling Products

Aluminum & Metal Cans

Cardboard & Food Boxes

Glass Bottles & Jars

Mattresses

In 2015 Connecticut passed a law mandating that mattresses be recycled. Eighty percent of a mattress can be recycled and turned into new and valuable material!

West Hartford residents have several options for recycling mattresses:

Drop off at the Yard Waste and Recycling Center at 25 Brixton St. Permit required to use the facility.
Call Paine’s at 860-844-3000 or click on the Bulky Waste link on town website to purchase a permit for a bulky waste pick-up.
Search Bye Bye Mattress for drop off locations.

Paper

Plastic Containers

Recycling Plastics - Empty and rinse all containers. It is not necessary to remove labels.

You may recycle these items in your single stream cart

Plastic bottles, containers, tubs, lids and single-use cups (no lids or straws)
Including bottles, jars, jugs and
Other rigid plastic containers

Please DO NOT include

Plastic Film
Plastic Bags
Paint
Pesticides
Oils & Cleaners
VHS/VCR tapes
Phones
Computers
Needles or syringes
Styrofoam to-go containers
Organic material & food waste

The Dirty Dozen

Recycling Waste Wizard

Have you tried using the Recycling Wizard? Recycling is now easier than ever! Just use the helpful West Hartford Recycles A-Z waste wizard to get answers to your questions about how to recycle, reuse, and properly dispose of hundreds of items.

DO

1. Place your barrel(s) out before 6 AM on collection day. Please note, that material to be presented for collection cannot be placed at the curb more than 24 hours in advance of your scheduled collection date.

2. Keep the lid facing the street.

3. Make sure all items and material are placed inside the barrel(s).

4. Make sure the barrel(s) are at least 2 feet apart.

5. Obtain a permit online before scheduling a bulk pick-up.

6. Contact All American Waste to change from 95-gallon barrel(s) to 65-gallon barrel(s) (single residences only)

7. Report missed collections to All American Waste if the barrel(s) were placed out before 6 a.m. on collection day.

8. Contact All American Waste if your barrels are damaged or stolen.

9. Use only barrels issued by the Town/All American Waste.

10. Remove barrel(s) within 24 hours after 6:00 a.m. on your scheduled collection day.

11. Make sure recycling items are placed in the blue recycling container, and regular household waste is placed in the green barrel.

DON'T

1. Place any barrel(s) in the street.

2. Put explosives, automotive parts, animal remains, or biological, hazardous, liquid, radioactive, human or animal waste in your barrel.

3. Put leaves, grass clippings, brush, and branches in your barrels. (Brush and branches may be brought to the Recycling Center on Brixton Street after proper permits have been obtained).

4. Place hot ashes or coals into your barrels.

5. Paint, mark or otherwise damage your barrel(s). Remember you are responsible for your barrel(s) and any damage caused by you.

Yard Waste Collection

Town of West Hartford offers residents a biweekly way to remove yard waste. The program runs April 1 through October 31. View complete details and information.

Town of West Hartford Residential Refuse and Recycling Cart Use and Care Policy

Town of West Hartford Residential Refuse and Recycling Cart Use and Care Policy

Effective Date: October 1, 2026

1. Purpose

This policy establishes requirements for the proper use, care, storage, and curbside presentation of residential refuse and recycling carts used for the Town of West Hartford's ("Town") automated collection program.

Proper cart use helps ensure safe, efficient collection, prevent litter, and maintain clean, orderly streets.

2. Cart Ownership and Provision

Residential refuse and recycling carts are the property of All American Waste (AAW), the Town's contracted waste and recycling materials service provider.

AAW provides each residential unit with one (1) refuse cart and one (1) recycling cart in the available 45-gallon, 65-gallon, and 95-gallon sizes, as selected by the property owner.

AAW offers yard waste carts for purchase.

AAW is responsible for cart inventory, repair, and replacement in accordance with the Town's waste and recycling materials service agreement.

Property owners may request additional carts, subject to the rates as outlined in the following;

3. Property Owner Responsibility

Property owners are responsible for the proper use, care, storage, security, and curbside presentation of the carts assigned to their residence.

Property owners shall:

Use each cart only for its intended refuse, recycling, or yard waste purpose.
Keep carts reasonably clean and in good condition.
Take reasonable precautions to prevent carts from being lost, stolen, vandalized, or damaged.
Do not paint, modify, drill, or otherwise alter a cart without authorization.
Store carts in a safe location when not being used for collection.
Remove carts from the curb or collection area promptly after collection.

4. Curbside Presentation

Carts must be properly presented for collection. Property owners shall:

Place carts at the curb off the street on level ground.
Keep the lid completely closed.
Place all material inside the cart; do not place material on top of or beside the cart unless specifically authorized for collection.
Do not overfill or pack the cart so tightly that the lid cannot close.
Position the cart so the automated collection vehicle can safely access and service it.
Keep carts from obstructing sidewalks, travel lanes, driveways, fire hydrants, storm drains, or other public infrastructure.

5. Refuse and Recycling Requirements

Property owners are responsible for placing controlled acceptable solid waste and recycling material in the correct cart and complying with the Town's waste and recycling requirements.

Refuse: Place only Controlled Acceptable Solid Waste in the refuse cart. Do not place prohibited materials in the cart.

Controlled Acceptable Solid Waste is acceptable solid waste that is (i) controlled or managed by the Town; (ii) generated at an Improved Property; (iii) collected by AAW. It does not include Recyclables, Food Waste, Yard Waste, or materials generated outside the Town's boundaries.

Recycling: Recycling is mandatory in West Hartford. Place only controlled, acceptable materials accepted through the Town's recycling program in the recycling cart. Do not place refuse or other prohibited materials in the recycling cart. Property owners are responsible for staying up to date on what materials are and are not accepted. The Town website provides up-to-date information.

Controlled Acceptable Recyclables are acceptable recyclables generated within the boundaries of the Town that are (i) controlled or managed by the Town; (ii) source separated from Trash by the generator; (iii) collected by AAW; (iv) not Hazardous Material, Radioactive Waste, Biomedical Waste, Exempt Waste, Bulky Waste, Yard Waste, Controlled Acceptable Solid Waste or any other material that has a reasonable possibility of adversely affecting the operation or useful life of any part of the recycling Facility to which AAW delivers such material.

Controlled acceptable solid waste and recyclable materials shall be separated as required by Town of West Hartford Code Chapter 94, including §§ 94-9 and 94-13, and applicable Town collection requirements.

AAW may not service carts containing prohibited materials or significant contamination, and they are subject to penalties.

6. Cart Damage, Loss, or Replacement

AAW shall replace carts that become non‑serviceable due to normal wear and tear at its expense.

AAW shall replace carts that become non-serviceable due to normal wear and tear at its expense.

The Town shall replace carts damaged by the Town in accordance with the terms of the Town’s waste and recycling materials service agreement.

If a third party other than the Town or its authorized collection contractor damages a cart, the property owner or resident is responsible for arranging and paying for the cart's repair or replacement. This includes damage caused by vehicles, private contractors, landscapers, snow-removal contractors, or other third parties.

Property owners should promptly report missing, damaged, or non-serviceable carts to the designated Town or AAW contact.

The Town and its collection contractor are not responsible for damage caused by third parties unrelated to the collection service.

7. Enforcement

Improper use of a cart or failure to comply with applicable waste and recycling requirements may result in the cart not being serviced and/or enforcement action authorized by West Hartford Code Chapter 94-13.

Nothing in this policy limits the Town's authority to enforce applicable ordinances, regulations, or collection requirements.

8. Questions and Service Requests

Property owners should contact All American Waste at 860-289-7850 regarding cart delivery, replacement, repair, size changes, additional carts, or collection-related concerns.

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