All Manchester residents can use the Transfer Station to responsibly dispose of household items. A current Recycling Permit Card is required. Check out the links above to find out hours, what is accepted, and how to get a permit.
Before you visit...
Do you hate to throw so much away? There are other options! Check out our Sustainable Waste Management page for more information!
Sustainable Waste Management
Follow us via the Public Works Department social media pages! 
Facebook 
Instagram
OPEN Tuesday through Friday, 7:30am to 12:00pm and 12:30pm to 2:45pm
OPEN Saturday, 7:15am - 2:30pm
CLOSED Sunday and Monday
The Transfer Station will be closed on Friday, July 3 and Saturday, July 4.
The Transfer Station is closed on the six holidays listed below and is open on a normal schedule for all other holidays.
New Year's Day
Memorial Day
July 4th
Labor Day
Thanksgiving Day
Christmas Day
Free to Drop off and Recycle:
- Bulky Rigid Plastics - ex. 5 gallon buckets and lawn furniture
- Single Stream Recycling - any items accepted curbside - bottles, cans, paper
- Boxboard
- Textiles - clothing, shoes, and linens
- Food Scraps
- Paint - Paint Care program accepted items: latex and oil-based paint, varnish, stains - 5 gallon limit
- Electronics - covered electronics (TV’s, monitors, computers), other used electronics
- Cardboard - flattened and cut to smaller than 3x3 feet
- Scrap Metal - anything that is at least 50% metal
- Appliances
- Used Motor Oil
- Spent anti-freeze
- Used cooking oil
- Used mixed batteries
- Used car batteries
- Mattresses and box springs
- Propane Tanks - grill sized
- Refrigerators
- Air Conditioners
- Yard Waste: Leaves and Grass
Chargeable with a Punch Card to Drop off:
- Household Trash - bagged
- Bulky Household Trash
- Furniture
- Construction and Demolition items
- Brush
- Logs and Stumps
- Tires - 4 maximum
Looking for a better understanding of the Transfer Station layout and more details on accepted items? Check out our Transfer Station Story Map!
Transfer Station Story Map
All Manchester Residents must have a current Recycling Permit Card to access the Transfer Station.
The 2024-2025 blue Recycling Permit Card is valid until further notice while we prepare to update the permit system.
*Recycling Permit Cards & Punch Cards are not to be distributed and/or used by anyone else other then the assigned permittee.*
Recycling Permit Card
The Annual Residential Recycling Permit is FREE.
A Recycling Permit allows all Manchester residents to access the Transfer Station to dispose of recyclable materials and other eligible items. Registering for a Recycling Permit can also provide access to our satellite food scrap drop-off stations.
Are you already a current permit holder but need to update your information? You can sign into your account and update your personal information or sign up for the Food Scrap Drop-off Program though the link below.
Eligibility
Only those who reside in Manchester can register for a Free Recycling Card. If you own property in Manchester, but do not live here, you are not eligible and need to use our commercial rates. Proof of Residency is required on the application.
Recycling Permit Application
Recycling Permit Application
Pick up your permit card in person at the Sanitation Office Window located on 311 Olcott Street. (Cards will not be mailed or emailed.)
You may also fill out an application in-person at the Sanitation Office Window by bringing the required proof of residency described in the following section.
To print a hard copy of the Recycling Permit Application, click here(PDF, 742KB).
Proof of Residency
The Recycling Permit Application must be accompanied by two (2) of the items listed below as proof of Manchester residency, one of which must be a photo ID:
- State Photo ID / Driver's License - *Required*
- DMV Vehicle Registration
- Utility Bill (Gas/Electric) - *Water bill not be accepted*
- Cable TV / Internet Bill
- Valid Lease Agreement
Note: If the current address is different from what is listed on the Photo ID, then two (2) additional documents from the list above must be provided.
Chargeable Items and Punch Cards
Residents must purchase Punch Cards for chargeable items. These never expire, but they must be accompanied by an active Recycling Permit Card.
Visit the Sanitation Office Window at 311 Olcott Street to purchase a Punch Card. The Punch Card fees are as follows:
- 4 Punch Card - $25.00
- 10 Punch Card - $50.00
Only passenger vehicles, residential pick up trucks (no logo), and small single axle trailers are permitted at the transfer station. NO commercial vehicles, box trucks, and multi-axle trailers are permitted in the transfer station.
Commercial vehicles (with logos/graphics), box trucks, rented box trucks & double axle trailers must use commercial scale and pay commercial rates (Mon-Fri).
All commercial and/or professional renovation & landscaping work material must be disposed at the commercial rate.
Manchester Residents can bring their yard waste to the Transfer Station where it will be processed into woodchips or compost.
Free - Leaves and grass, which are a mandatory recyclable item, plus Christmas trees
Chargeable - Brush, branches, logs, and stumps can be paid with a Punch Card
Leaf Drop-off
Manchester residents can drop leaves at the Transfer Station for free, year round during normal Transfer Station hours (Tuesday through Friday, 7:30 AM to 12 PM; 12:30 PM to 2:45PM and Saturday, 7:15 AM to 2:30 PM). A current Recycling Permit Card is required to do so (which is free to Manchester residents).
Leaves can also be dropped off after hours until dusk at the 263 Olcott Street leaf collection site from October 11th to December 31st of each year. Leaves which are dropped off must be loose or in paper bags. NO PLASTIC BAGS - They cause contamination to the compost!
30 gallon Leaf bags are available for purchase in bundles of 5, 25, & 50. Leaf bags are available for sale year-round at the residential window of the Sanitation Office (311 Olcott Street).
5 bags for $20; 25 bags for $10; 50 bags for $20.
Leaf bags are also available at Customer Service Center at Town Hall (41 Center Street) during open hours, and at the Manchester Senior Center during open hours. For more information please call 860-647-5235.
For information on curbside collection of leaves and yard waste, visit our Residential Curbside Collection page.
Residential Curbside Collection
Christmas Trees
Christmas trees can be dropped off at the Transfer Station during normal hours of operation (Tuesday through Friday, 7:30 AM to 12 PM; 12:30 PM to 2:45PM and Saturday, 7:15 AM to 2:30 PM). A current Recycling Permit Card is required to do so (which is free to Manchester residents). Trees contaminated with plastic bags, ornaments, lights or stands will not be accepted.
For information on curbside collection of Christmas Trees, visit our Residential Curbside Collection page.
Residential Curbside Collection
Leaf Compost
Through the miracle of Mother Nature (and with a little help from the employees in the Sanitation Division), leaves are turned into rich, organic compost in 6-12 months. Temperature and moisture are the two main factors that determine how quickly the leafy materials break down. Compost is a great mulch for flower beds and gardens and can also be used as a soil amendment.
Compost is FREE for all Manchester Residents.
Manchester residents with current Recycling Permit Cards may pick-up free compost at the transfer station. Compost pick-up is self-service, you will need to bring your own containers, gloves, and shovel.
For non Manchester residents, the rates for compost are based on container or truck size.
$1.00 per 30 gallons approximately the size of a trash can/paper leaf bag.
$10.00 for small pickup truck load – 6ft.
$15.00 for large pickup truck load -- 8ft.
This is a self-serve resource. You will need to bring a shovel or other means of loading your receptacle.
My Recycling Cart is full and I have more material, where can I take it?
You can recycle the items listed here at the Transfer Station. The Manchester Transfer Station is open Tuesday through Saturdays, 7:15am to 2:30pm. Proof of Residency is required.
Manchester Transfer Station - 311 Olcott Street, Manchester, CT 06040
What vehicles/trailers are allowed on the Residential side for Manchester Residents?
Get information about permitted residential vehicles from this sheet.
Who is eligible to use the Transfer Station?
Only Manchester Residents are eligible to use the free services at the Transfer Station and obtain a Recycling Permit Card. Proof of Manchester residency is required during the Recycling Permit Card registration process. If you own property in Manchester, but do not live in Manchester, you are not eligible to use the services that come with the Recycling Permit. You can use the commercial/day rate pricing. Pay as you Dump Customer Usage Form(PDF, 450KB)
What do I do with fire extinguishers?
Fire extinguishers when full are under pressure and may explode when combined with other materials. As of July 1, 2018,Fire Extinguishers CAN be brought to a Household Hazardous Waste collection event for safe and proper disposal. An alternative is to discharge the tank in a safe location, at which point it has been depressurized and can be thrown away as trash if it is plastic, or recycled as scrap metal at the Town's Transfer Station if it is a metal extinguisher. Click here to learn more from CT DEEP about how to dispose of fire extinguishers.
What do I do with smoke detectors?
Most smoke detectors contain a small amount of radioactive material. When installed in your home or office this material poses little threat but if broken open, it can become a health hazard. This is the reason that smoke detectors must be labeled as having radioactive content and their manufacturers must accept these items for disposal as hazardous waste.
Homeowners can mail smoke alarms and smoke detectors back to their manufacturer by surface or UPS ground mail, marked "For Disposal" or contact the manufacturer by phone for instructions.
Manufacturer/Manufacturer's Address
- Kidde Residential Division, 1016 Corporate Park Drive, Mebane, NC 27302
- Life Saver/Frynetics, Inc. 1055 Stevenson Ct. Suite 102, W. Roselle, IL 60172
- Code One/Firex/Maple Chase 2820 Thatcher Road, Downers Grove, IL 60515
- American Sensors (800.387.4219)
- FirstAlert/BRK Brands (800.323.9005)
- Dicon 3334 Main Street Skokie, IL 60076
- Safety's Sake/Funtech 388 N Elliot Creek Road Amherst, NY 14228
- Other Manufacturers not listed above