The approximately 20,000 residents of Darien, CT, enjoy the many amenities that this small East Coast community has to offer. The downtown shopping area, the public library, the nearby beach and beautiful neighborhood parks provide an unusually high quality of life in the tiny yet bustling town of Darien. But, despite its small size, Darien has to consider the inevitable issue of how and where to properly dispose of its accumulated waste.

Encouraging residents to recycle their waste, the Town of Darien has been a part of the growing single-stream recycling trend since May 2012. The town’s residents, opposed to sorting paper, plastic, glass, cardboard and other recyclables, are now able to deposit all of their recyclables in a commingled recycling container. Recyclables are then picked up by waste haulers and transported to the Darien Transfer Station for sorting and downstream recycling. According to the Darien Department of Public Works, the switch to single-stream recycling was intended to increase the quantity of recyclables collected in town. Commingling recyclables makes recycling easier for residents, therefore making them more inclined to participate. The department strongly stresses recyclables must be loose, empty and no more than lightly soiled. For a full list of items that are accepted in Darien’s single-stream recycling collection, please check out the town’s single-stream flyer and its accompanying press release. For Darien residents, the curbside pickup service comes at a high price, costing each household about $600 per year. Although the service is costly, it’s all about residents’ convenience. The program is available to all residents within the town limits. Since initiating single-stream recycling, residents are more confident in what can and cannot be recycled. The Darien Department of Public Works reminds consumers that if they throw items that could have been recycled in the trash they are throwing away their tax dollars as well as valuable renewable resources.