Love Manchester, Live Green

Litter is improperly disposed of trash, and it can be prevented by properly disposing of items we no longer need. The Manchester recycling rate hovers around 20%. This means that only 20% of the recyclable items are actually getting into our recycling carts. In January of this year, all Manchester Residents who have their trash and recycling collected by the town received a Curbside Recycling Guide postcard in the mail. This postcard should answer almost all of your curbside recycling questions. What goes in and what stays out of the cart? What are common items that people put in their recycling carts but shouldn’t? Can I really put in empty juice cartons, yogurt cups, and whipped cream bottles?

In addition to bi-weekly recycling collection, each household is allowed two free curbside bulky waste pickups a year (July through June). Acceptable items include furniture, rolled rugs, mattresses, boxsprings, appliances, and covered electronics (TVs, monitors, printers). Call 860-647-3200 option 2 to schedule your pickup by 2pm the day before your collection day.

Top Tips:

• Never bag recyclables – plastic bags are not allowed in the cart. Plastic bags can be dropped off for recycling at most grocery stores in town.
• A recycle symbol doesn’t always mean it can be recycled. Look for numbers 1, 2, and 5 for your most common acceptable items.
• Recyclable doesn’t mean it can be accepted in your cart. Some items like electronics are recyclable but they don’t belong in your cart (hint - bring them to the Transfer Station).
• Before placing in the cart, make sure your containers are empty, rinsed out, and have the lids/caps on.
• Only items inside your cart will be collected. So, make sure you break down those big boxes so that they fit in the cart.
• Have extra recycling? You can bring your single-stream recyclables to the Transfer Station to drop off for free! A free Recycling Permit is required.
• Finally: when in doubt, check the “can I recycle it wizard”; still unsure? throw it out.

Learn more on our Sustainable Waste Management page:

https://www.manchesterct.gov/Government/Departments/Public-Works/Sanitation-Division/Sustainable-Waste-Management/Recycle

Thank you to everyone who signed up to Adopt a Street for Earth Day this year! We had over 30 groups, with over 80 people who covered over 60 streets! The map below shows all the streets cleaned up. We saved about 60 bags of litter from blowing or flowing in our storm drains, streams, wetlands, and rivers. Everyone can do their part to keep our town clean by disposing of their items properly, picking up litter when you see it, reporting illegal dumping in MarkIT, and joining the Litter Clean up Crew! Remember no one can do everything, but everyone can do something.

April 22 is Earth Day, but we are celebrating all month! Starting April 1 through the end of May, residents can sign up to adopt a road to pick up litter in their neighborhood. This is an opportunity to get outside, clean up your street, keep litter out of our waterways, and to give back to your community, but on your own schedule! Remember no one can do everything, but everyone can do something.

Starting on March 16, residents or groups can sign up to cleanup residential streets of their choosing. Start by filling in this form: you will need to know what streets you want to clean up, what dates you prefer, and how many people.

The Sanitation Division will give you colored bags to use for the cleanup. Once you finish the cleanup, bring the full, tied closed bags back to the Transfer Station for disposal.

Sign up here!

Are you looking for a volunteer or team building opportunity for your business or employees? The Town of Manchester can facilitate a cleanup for your group in one of the local parks or on local streets. We provide gloves, litter pickers, buckets, bags, vests, and day of support. This is a great way for your team to spend some time outdoors getting to know each other better. Also, picking up litter in your community provides instant gratification of a job well done – you can see the difference made with the number of bags collected and the visibly cleaner area.

Reach out to Rebecca Fowler, the Recycling and Community Service Coordinator, to schedule your cleanup! rfowler@manchesterct.gov or 860-647-3120

Union Pond Park, Manchester CT

Litter is defined as improperly managed waste, be it intentionally or unintentionally. The top 10 pieces of litter found along the Long Island Sound in 2022 were…

Most types of litter take years, and even centuries, to break down. Litter can have serious consequences for our environment and health. Strong winds and heavy rains can also transport the litter to nearby bodies of water, where they become harmful to aquatic life. Did you know that all rivers and streams in Connecticut lead to the Long Island Sound?

Image Credit: Long Island Sound Study

Not only is litter an eye-sore, but it can be harmful, too.

• Materials like glass and metal can be sharp and result in injury when stepped on.
• Metals break down over time, leaching into our soils, groundwater, and streams.
• Plastic items can fragment into smaller pieces of plastic, known as microplastics, which can contaminate our drinking water and be mistaken by wildlife for food.
• Various types of litter may also cause tangling, choking, and/or trapping hazards to wildlife.