YARD WASTE & TREES

The NHSWRA encourages all City residents to separate yard waste debris, leaves, tree limbs and branches from the solid waste stream.  These materials should not be put in the trash.  They are a valuable resource and should be either collected by our local municipal refuse collection team, or they can be dropped off at the NHSWRA by coupon (Please refer to local Public Works Department rules)  will be collected.by the City during  curb side collections.  source-separated from the trash are highly recyclable and should be thought of as a resource, not a waste. Significant increases in recycling rates can be achieved through composting and other organics recycling efforts. Connecticut DEEP has successfully focused efforts on establishing large-scale leaf composting facilities, promoting home composting and grasscycling, and sponsoring pilot programs to compost organics at schools and other institutions. These programs have helped keep food scraps, yard trimmings and grass out of the waste stream, reduce waste handling and disposal costs, return valuable nutrients to the soil, and reduce the need for chemical fertilizers, thereby decreasing non-point source pollution.

Composting at Home

By composting kitchen scraps and yard trimmings at home, and leaving grass clippings on the lawn, the volume of garbage you generate can be reduced by as much as 25%! Composting and grasscycling is practical, convenient and can be easier and less expensive than bagging these wastes and driving them to the transfer station, or paying a landscaper to take them away.  Leaves and grass clippings are required to be recycled in Connecticut, and composting and grasscycling are great ways to comply.