Recycling centers in New Haven

Four generations of the Alderman family have run this scrap yard in New Haven since Max Alderman started out with one carriage in the old Oak Street section in 1895. Alderman-Dow Iron & Metal buys ferrous and non-ferrous metal by the pound or gross ton on digital scales certified by the State of Connecticut, with every read-out in full view of the customer. The yard sits minutes off Routes 91 and 95 and is open six days a week. Photo ID is required on every transaction, each purchase is photographed and tied to the ID on file, and cameras record around the clock. Electricians and contractors get scrap pickup programs: the yard supplies shop and job-site bins, swaps in replacement bins, weighs scrap on site, and pays at pickup or leaves a scale ticket with the foreman. Roll-off containers of 30 to 40 yards and load lugger buckets from 6 to 20 yards are also available.

Chase Waste buys ferrous and non-ferrous scrap including copper, titanium, brass, aluminum, steel, stainless steel, lead, and wire. Public drop-off is available Monday–Friday 7 a.m.–5 p.m. and Saturday 7 a.m.–2 p.m.; hauling, container, and on-site demolition services are offered.

A small family used auto parts dealer with one yard in the 1940s grew into Chuck and Eddie's, which now employs more than 100 people at locations in Southington, New Haven, and Hartford. The New Haven yard at 190 Middletown Ave concentrates on late-model used parts, with new and aftermarket parts sold alongside and shipping worldwide. The company also buys vehicles: junk cars, late-model cars, and accident-damaged or totaled cars, with free towing. The New Haven yard is open Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm, and Saturday, 8am to 2pm. It is closed Sundays.

The Town of Hamden's Recycling Center and Transfer Station at 231 Wintergreen Avenue weighs every vehicle on the way in and out and bills the difference. It is a cash-free facility: payment is by credit or debit card only, at an outdoor kiosk on the way out. Solid and bulky waste is free up to 40 pounds and charged per pound above that, and organic waste is free up to 200 pounds. Food scraps go to the Quantum Biodigester in Southington, and free pails for collecting them come from the town's recycling coordinator. The site runs Monday through Friday with a midday break and opens the first Saturday of each month. Gates close promptly, with no entry for vehicles still in line. Cardboard must be broken down before it is accepted, and the site closes for town holidays. The town asks drivers to enter New Haven as the destination city in GPS, or they end up in the wrong place.

Regional household hazardous waste facility on Sargent Dr. in New Haven. It takes aerosols, lawn, pool and photo chemicals, car batteries and fluids, paint thinner, fluorescent bulbs, 1 lb propane tanks and mercury items, free to Cheshire residents with proof of residency.

Drive-through household hazardous waste site run by the Regional Water Authority and South Central Regional Council of Governments. Meriden and Cheshire residents use it free with proof of residency, and staff unload the vehicle.

The New Haven Transfer Station at 260 Middletown Avenue has a residential drop-off area open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon. New Haven residents no longer need coupons: they show an ID with a New Haven address and the attendant scans it. Residents without one get an Elm City Resident Card from Vital Statistics, and college students get a courtesy pass from the city office on Chapel Street. Private and commercial haulers go to the Scale House and cannot use residential services. Construction debris such as wood, roof shingles, drywall, masonry, plumbing fixtures and fencing is accepted for a fee after weighing on the scale. Household hazardous waste is not taken here; it goes to Haz-waste Central at the Regional Water Authority on Sargent Drive, which opens Saturday mornings from May through October.

Sims Metal New Haven on Washington Avenue buys ferrous and nonferrous scrap, junk cars, appliances, and electronic waste with shearing capabilities and roll-off container service. The yard specializes in steel operations and serves businesses, scrap collectors, and the general public without appointments. Hours are Monday through Friday 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Saturday 7:00 a.m. to noon.