City of Middletown, CT

What to Recycle?

Recycling is the law.

Everyone must recycle: residents, businesses, institutions, schools, everyone.   Below is a list of what is acceptable in Middletown’s curbside recycling program.   This is uniform, whether you have the City Sanitation District or private collection. In the City Sanitation District, recycling is picked up every other week on the same day as trash. The calendar for pick up can be found on the City’s website.

By recycling you can reduce your trash to help protect the environment and save the City money. 

Recycling is also accepted at the Middletown Recycling Center.   The Recycling Center also accepts other items such as bulk waste, appliances, furniture, food waste, e-waste, batteries, large cardboard boxes, brush, leaves, scrap metal and tires (no more than 4 at a time).  Some items are charged.  Details are available here

PLEASE RECYCLE:

Plastic Bottles, Jars, Jugs, & Tubs

  • Plastic Bottles and Containers (clean & empty containers with lids and caps ON)

  • Plastic Soda, Water & Drink Bottles

  • Plastic Food & Household Bottles/Jars
    (screw top bottles and jars, ex. ketchup, mayonnaise, detergent, shampoo)

  • Plastic Tubs & Lids
    (ex. yogurt, margarine, cottage cheese)

  • Plastic Produce, Deli & Bakery Containers, Cups, Trays
    (berries/produce containers)

Please do not include:

  • No plastic bags or plastic utensils. Bring plastic bags back to the grocery store.

  • No black plastic take-out containers

  • No Polystyrene (Styrofoam)

  • No bulky plastics (buckets, crates) or toys

  • No flower pots

  • No containers that contained hazardous waste

Glass Bottles and Jars

  • Glass bottles and jars (empty containers with caps OFF)

  • All glass colors

Please do not include:

  • No windows, mirrors, or auto glass

  • No light bulbs (fluorescent bulbs should be disposed of properly)

  • No dishes, ceramics, or Pyrex

  • No containers that contained hazardous waste

Metal Cans & Aluminum

  • Metal cans and Aluminum (empty containers)

  • Steel, tin, and aluminum cans

  • Clean aluminum pie plates, trays, and foil

Please do not include:

  • No chains, wires or hangers

  • No aerosol containers

  • No pots and pans

  • No containers that contained hazardous waste

Paper and Cardboard

  • Magazines & Catalogs

  • All newspapers & inserts

  • Paperboard (cereal boxes, paper towel rolls, etc.) & paper bags

  • Cardboard – please flatten

  • Empty Pizza boxes

  • Office paper, Junk mail (Staples, paperclips, spirals, & plastic envelope windows are OK)

  • Brown bags

  • Phone books

  • Cartons, empty and replace cap

Please do not include:

  • No recyclables with food waste

  • No napkins, paper towels, tissues

  • No frozen food boxes

  • No gift wrap

  • No foam padding

Important Tips:

  • Empty and rinse containers. Please no liquids or food residue.
  • No straws.  Caps are okay if they are ON the containers. 
  • Place materials loose in your cart. Plastic bags are not accepted in the curbside program because they jam the equipment at the sorting facility.
  • Consult the list above for a complete list of what is acceptable. 
  • Try to reduce your waste, even your recycling.  Recycling is great but it still costs money.   Think and consider the waste before you buy. 
  • Close the loop! Buy products made from post-consumer recycled materials.
  • Check here for information on recycling other items beyond what goes in the recycling cart.  
Wondering if something is recyclable? Type the name of a waste item at RecycleCT, and we will tell you how to recycle or dispose of it.

More Information

For more information, please contact the City of Middletown Department of Public Works 

Middletown Public Works is open Monday through Friday from 8:30am to 4:30pm

Contact

City of Middletown

245 deKoven Drive

2nd Floor, Room 210

Middletown, CT 06457

(860) 638-4850
www.middletownct.gov

Recycling@middletownct.gov