Food Scraps & PAYT Waste Collection Pilot

West Hartford Pilot Program for Food Scraps and PAYT Waste Collection

Connecticut is in a trash crisis and is searching for innovative ways to manage current and future trash in a sustainable manner by diverting and recycling as much as possible. The state is also encouraging residents to attempt to reduce trash.

Pilot collection starts May 1st, 2023, in only the pilot neighborhood. Pilot neighborhood is a Monday route near Morley Elementary School which is Trout Brook to the west, N. Quaker to the east, Asylum to the north and Fern to the south. There is no cost to pilot residents and all are strongly urged to participate and give feedback.  

West Hartford is one of 15 municipalities to win CT DEEP grant money to conduct a 9-month pilot program to divert food scraps from the waste stream. This will be done together with a PAY AS YOU THROW (PAYT) trash collection system. PAYT is a way to think about treating trash as a utility so that one pays for the amount of trash produced, like gas or electricity. Again, there is no cost for pilot participants.

Visit West Hartford Main – ReduceTheTrashCT for more information. 

Instructions for Pilot Participants

1. You will have received orange trash bags and green food scrap bags and a 6 gallon food scrap collection carrier.
2.  Please try to limit your trash to 2 or fewer orange trash bags a week. Place in regular trash barrel and place at curb on trash day.
3. Place ALL food scraps (meat, dairy, and bones too) in green trash bag in green carrier bin and place at curb on trash day at least 3 feet away from the trash barrel.
4. Recycling remains the same.
5. Pet waste; a suggestion is to collect in a separate bag, and just before trash day place this bag in orange bag on your trash day.
6. Make use of the town’s Yard Waste and Recycling Center at 25 Brixton Street for disposal of many materials like textiles, metals, paint, extra recycling, mattresses and E-Waste (anything with a cord and no freone).
7. For questions, comments and feedback please email whrecycles@westhartford.org or call 860-561-8100 or 860-561-8107.