Recycling in Orange

Orange residents have multiple opportunities to easily recycle. Recyclable items include paper, cardboard, glass, plastic containers, plastic bags, metaIs, electronic devices, paint, hazardous waste, food scraps, mattresses, clothing & household items, and more! 

Recycling Pick-up From Your House

There is weekly recycling pick-up for residents of Orange. It’s important to know what to put in the bin – and what not to! Putting non-acceptable items in the bin can result in more costs for the town and be detrimental to the environment.  

Put these items into your blue rolling recycling bin. It is NOT NECESSARY to sort or tie any items. Items can be squashed if space is needed.

• Paper – newspapers, plain paper, books/catalogs, cartons, etc.
• Cardboard – food, shipping, and gift boxes
• Glass – bottles, jars
• Plastics – containers and bottles (EXCEPTION: black plastic is not recyclable, put it in trash)
• Metals – aluminum cans and foil, aerosol cans
• IMPORTANT – Do NOT put any plastic bags or wraps in your recycling bin. These contaminate the recycling process, thus costing the town more to dispose. Bins that contain plastic bags, bubble wrap, plastic packaging, etc. will not be picked up. (There is ample opportunity to recycle these malleable plastics – put in the shed at the Orange Transfer Station or bins at local stores). 

Additional resource: Go to the RecycleCT website to easily find out if a specific item is recyclable in CT. Simply type in the item and you’ll immediately find out if it’s recyclable. 

Residential Recycling Pick-up Days (excluding private communities such as Fieldstone Village; see below for more info): 

• Pick-up is weekly, on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. See map for which streets are on which day. 
• Pick up may be early in the day so put your bin out the night before if desired. 
• Face the bin towards the street as you see your neighbors have it.
• Holidays: When a holiday falls on your pickup day, your pickup will be on the next day, and the rest of the week will be a day later. If needed, Friday pick up will be on Saturday. Monday holidays will not impact the pick up schedules for the week.
• Snow: If there is a large snowstorm where roads are impacted so the recycling trucks can’t get through, the recycling schedule will get bumped by a day, as described for holidays above. Scheduling changes will be posted on the Orange Recycling Committee’s Facebook page as possible.

Every home has one recycling bin. When a resident moves away they must leave the bin at the residence. Contact Public Works at 203-891-4712 for issues including:  

• Your recycling pick-up was missed. 
• You moved in and there was no bin; a new one will be provided at no cost.
• To obtain an additional blue residential recycling bin, cost is $50.

Note: Recycling for private communities is handled by private contractors. For example, Fieldstone Village recycling pickup day is Friday, same as trash pick-up. Residents should contact the property manager for additional info as needed. 

Recycling at the Orange Transfer Station & Recycling Center

Located at 100 S. Orange Center Rd (behind Home Depot), the facility has many stations for drop-off of waste materials. See sign at entrance for location of each station. Stations include: 

• Mixed recyclables container/dumpster – cans, bottles, glass
  • IMPORTANT - do NOT put plastic bags in this container.  If your recyclables are in a plastic bag, dump them into the container then put the bag in the Plastic Bags and Wrap shed next to the container. 
• Plastic Bags and Wraps shed - for soft, malleable plastic bags and wraps, i.e., shopping, bread, produce, dry cleaning, newspaper, and other lightweight bags you can crumple in your hand; bubble wrap; baggies/ziplocks; paper goods and other packaging, etc.
  • IMPORTANT – do NOT INCLUDE:  bags for pet food, mulch/gardening supplies, frozen vegetables, and cement/building materials; plastic/bubble wrap envelopes.  These are made of thicker plastic that's not recyclable. 
• Garbage/trash “hopper”
• Goodwill drop-off and Bay State Textiles bin for clothes, accessories, household goods, etc.
• Food scrap compost bins
• Electronics/ewaste recycling
• Paint
• Building materials
• Propane tanks and metals
• Leaves and brush

Hours: (as of March 2024)

Sunday          Closed

Monday        8 AM–4:30 PM

Tuesday         8 AM–2 PM

Wednesday  8 AM–4:30 PM

Thursday       8 AM–2 PM

Friday            8 AM–4:30 PM

Saturday       8 AM–4:30 PM

Orange residents must have a sticker for their personal vehicles. Stickers may be obtained at the Transfer Station. Car must be registered in Orange CT and driver’s license must have Orange address.  

Commercial use: All landscapers, contractors, landlords and commercial businesses must obtain a permit. See details here or call/visit Public Works (Town Hall, 2^nd Floor, 203-891-4712)

Additional resources: 

• Town website: More info about the Transfer Station & Recycling Center or review this document
• Orange Recycling Committee website: Transfer Station & Recycling Center info at the Orange 
• Stations and guidelines are subject to change so ask questions at the info booth at entrance or call (203) 891-2177. 

More Recycling - Events and Opportunities in Town

The Orange Recycling Committee hosts events twice yearly (typically April and October) to help residents recycle more materials. What started as “Paper Shredding Day” years ago has grown to include secure paper shredding, mattress recycling (with pick-up assistance if needed), hazardous waste drop-off, electronics recycling, clothing & household items donation, prescription drug drop-off in conjunction with National Drug Takeback Day, and more. 

1. Paper Shredding and More Event – dates, time, and details
2. Updates on the Orange Recycling Committee’s Facebook page

Many local stores have bins for drop off of plastic bags and wraps. These include ShopRite, Big Y, Home Depot, Lowe’s, Target, Walmart, and Kohl’s (current as of March 2024). See more info and photos of drop-off places here. 

To quickly get $0.10 per item for redeemable items go to EZ Bottle Return at 392 Boston Post Rd, Orange. You may also redeem items at grocery stores or Costco.  Info on changes to fees as of 1/1/2024. 

HazWaste Central at the Regional Water Authority in New Haven offers free drop-off of hazardous household chemicals on Saturdays from May through October. See details and register here. 

Visit the Orange Recycling Committee website (www.orangerecycles.com) for the latest info on recycling in Orange.

For questions about recycling in Orange, email the Orange Recycling Committee or call the Public Works department at 203-891-4712.