West Hartford’s Public Works Department said the Recycling Center will close for just over a week beginning March 27, 2023,  for maintenance and reorganization.

By Ronni Newton

West Hartford’s Department of Public Works is beginning a process of upgrading and redeveloping its facilities, and Director of Public Works John Phillips has announced changes to the Yard Waste and Recycling Center that will be taking place this spring.

The Yard Waste and Recycling Center will temporarily close to the public as of March 27, 2023, and will reopen for residential use on Wednesday, April 5, 2023. Hours will be Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. until 3 p.m., year round. In addition, the center will be open Saturdays from April 8 through Dec. 16, 2023, from 7 a.m. until noon.

West Hartford residents will continue to be able to drop off all permitted recyclable materials, including yard waste, but as of March 27 the town’s facility will no longer accept commercial yard waste or clean wood from contractors.

“We will not be able to accept materials from contractors or commercial entities, even if you are a resident,” Phillips said. Some residents who have obtained a permit for themselves but operate side businesses that generate significant volumes of yard waste and clean wood, but will not be able to use the residential permit for those purposes anymore.

The new policy will also apply to leaf collection, and residents will no longer be able to obtain vouchers in the fall for leaves to be dropped off by their contractors. Public Works urges residents to make sure their contractors are aware of this policy change.

“We don’t have the capacity or resources to take in a high volume of materials,” Phillips said. While West Hartford previously had one of the few facilities for contractors to drop off these types of materials, there are now other sites in the area – in both Farmington and Bloomfield – that are viable options available for use by commercial operators.

The Yard Waste and Recycling Center had been operated by Supreme Forest for many years, and that contract has ended and Supreme Forest did not submit a bid in response to a recent RFP, Phillips said. Paine’s, which currently handles the town’s trash and recycling collection, will be managing West Hartford’s Yard Waste and Recycling Center operations.

Recycling will still be able to be dropped off at West Hartford’s Public Works facility on Brixton Street. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

A bin for residential yard waste will likely be placed in the front area of the center, where other materials are dropped off, Phillips said. Other than the new bin, “from a resident’s perspective, nothing changes,” he said.

Existing residential permits expire on March 31, 2023. “We want to strongly encourage the purchase of permits online,” Phillips said, in order to keep the line moving. The receipt can be shown at the entrance to the Yard Waste and Recycling Center and a new permit, for the period April 1, 2023 through March 31, 2024, will be issued. Click here to purchase an annual permit. The Department of Public Works Office will also be able to issue permits in-person on Wednesday through Friday, from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m.

Collection of yard waste in brown barrels or 30-gallon biodegradable bags will resume April 3, Phillips said. Materials are picked up biweekly, on the same day as recycling, and that is an “A” week, he said.

Future changes to the Public Works campus are likely forthcoming. The Town Council recently approved including $1.5 million in the Capital Improvement Fund for purchase of properties at 705 Oakwood Avenue and 12 Brixton Street – right across the street from existing Public Works facilities. Plans will be considered for the relocation of the Animal Control facility to the corner of Oakwood Avenue and Brixton Street, and for the relocation of the fire department training site and the addition of a fueling station to the newly-acquired property as well.

Like what you see here? Click here to subscribe to We-Ha’s newsletter so you’ll always be in the know about what’s happening in West Hartford! Click the blue button below to become a supporter of We-Ha.com and our efforts to continue producing quality journalism.