Bulk trash pickup is Sept. 15-19, e-waste drop-off is Sept. 20 in West Haven

WEST HAVEN, Sept. 2, 2025 — The final bulk trash pickup week of 2025 is Sept. 15-19.

West Haven residents are reminded to separate metals, recyclables and regular trash from bulk trash and put them out no more than 24 hours before pickup. Violations carry a $100 fine per daily offense, Public Works Commissioner Philip J. Sissick said.

Residents are also reminded to “Put a Lid on It!” and use lids on all trash cans. Rain-soaked trash costs West Haven 10 times more at the dump, according to Sissick, adding that using trash can lids will save the city money by reducing the weight of trash and cost of tipping fees.

Bulk items include couches, chairs, tables, carpeting, padding and fencing, which may not exceed 6 feet in length. No building materials, tires, mattresses/box springs, propane tanks or hazardous waste are accepted.

Options for disposing of building materials include renting a dumpster or bringing the materials to a disposal facility for a fee.

Tires and mattresses/box springs are not considered bulk trash and will not be collected.

Tires can be brought to Town Fair Tire, 63 Boston Post Road, Orange, for a fee of $3.75 per tire.

The New Haven Transfer Station, 260 Middletown Ave., is available to West Haven residents for bulk trash disposal. The fee is $122.60 per ton. The facility operates from 9 a.m.-noon Monday through Saturday. Household trash and garbage-filled bags are not accepted.

Hazardous waste can be dropped off for free at HazWaste Central, 90 Sargent Drive, New Haven. HazWaste is open Saturday mornings through October.

Propane tanks can be brought to Taylor Rental, 304 Boston Post Road, Orange, for a fee of $10.64 per tank.

The amount of bulk trash per collection is limited to 6 cubic yards, which is equal to a pile of trash about 6 feet long, 6 feet wide and 4 ½ feet high.

Homeowners are required to rent a dumpster or hire a junk removal service at their expense if trash exceeds 6 cubic yards. Otherwise, trash exceeding 6 cubic yards will be left at the curb, and a $100 fine per daily offense will be imposed, Sissick said.

To prevent a potential fine, property owners should familiarize themselves with the city’s trash guidelines at Public Works.

Bulk trash must be generated by the customer at the residential unit where it is collected. Trash will not be collected if it is generated by anyone other than the resident of the home.

Bulk items must be separated and orderly. Do not place them next to a mailbox or utility pole or close to a fence, Sissick said.

Also, do not place bulk items in front of a vacant lot or home — they will not be collected, he said.

Details at Bulk Trash Pickup & Other Services.

In addition to bulk trash, the city picks up metals, including household appliances, also known as white goods, and toilets. To schedule a pickup on their curbside collection day, residents must call the Highway Department at 203-937-3644 or 203-937-3585. Appliance doors must be removed.

For electronic items, including TVs, the final e-waste drop-off day of the year is Sept. 20.

Residents can drop off electronic recyclables — typically anything that contains a circuit board or needs a battery — from 8 a.m.-noon at the city garage, 1 Collis St.

West Haven is partnering with Take 2 Inc. of Waterbury, a state-approved recycler and collector of universal e-waste devices, to collect residential electronic items on a quarterly basis.

The collection is free for residents who have such items as computers, monitors, printers, keyboards, modems, computer mice, tablet computers, TVs, VCRs, DVD players, photocopiers, fax machines, scanners, video game machines, digital media players, personal digital assistants, stereo equipment, telephones, cellphones, cameras, microwaves and other small appliances.

Anything that has refrigerant, including air conditioners and dehumidifiers, is not accepted. Those items are considered hazardous waste and can be brought to HazWaste Central.

Details at E-waste Drop-off.

For the e-waste drop-off, residents are asked to heed the following guidelines:

— Stay in your vehicle.

— Vehicles will be spaced out. Event workers will remove electronics from your vehicle. There should be no interaction between residents and workers.

— No mattresses/box springs will be disposed of at the moment.

— No smoke detectors, ballasts or hazardous waste — lighter fluid, liquids, paint — will be accepted.

— Electronic items left curbside will be tagged with information on the e-waste schedule and must be removed, or face a potential fine.

West Haven Wellness Walk promotes healthy living

WEST HAVEN, Sept. 2, 2025 — (Pictured): City public health nurse Stacie L. Walsh, left, and Stop & Shop pharmacist Scott Silver are joined by Health Director Sheila Carmon, right, at the Health Department’s Wellness Walk on Saturday morning.

Walsh and Silver led a group of walkers on the shoreline boardwalk while sharing healthy living tips along the way.

During a pit stop at West Haven’s Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Silver discussed the benefits and misconceptions of vaccinations, and Walsh stressed the importance of blood pressure screenings, diet and exercise.

It was the department’s fourth and final Wellness Walk of the summer.

Each hourlong walk featured an array of health care professionals, including from the Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center and Yale New Haven Hospital, who discussed health and wellness in people’s daily lives. Members of the University of New Haven’s public health team also participated, collecting information for a community needs assessment project.

In addition, city health officials provided valuable resources and giveaways to support the department’s wellness journey.

(City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)

Chris Lavery performing at Acoustic Concert Series on Sunday morning

WEST HAVEN, Sept. 2, 2025 — The city’s Acoustic Concert Series continues with Chris Lavery from 9:30-11 a.m. Sunday at the Oak Street deck, off Captain Thomas Boulevard.

Grab a coffee and a beach chair and chill out to popular cover songs performed by Lavery.

The free concert is presented by Mayor Dorinda Borer and the Department of Parks and Recreation and is sponsored by The Breakwall.

Remembering Doug Kidd

WEST HAVEN, Sept. 2, 2025 — (Pictured, from left): Mayor Dorinda Borer reads a proclamation to the wife and daughters of the late city employee Doug Kidd, declaring Aug. 22 as “Doug Kidd Day.”

Joined by many of Kidd’s colleagues and friends, Borer presented the proclamation to his wife, Karen, and his daughters, Kristen and Shelby, during a moving celebration of life at the Prospect Beach Fish & Game Club, “the place he so cherished,” the mayor said.

Kidd, “a man of the sea who loved sailing,” served as West Haven’s deputy assessor for nearly 18 years. He died Feb. 22.

Borer called Kidd “a devoted public servant.”

“Doug Kidd’s legacy will live on in the city of West Haven,” the mayor said. “As we reflect on his life, we pray that God’s mercy grants Doug safe harbor and lays his sails to rest.”

(City Photo/Lindsay Katz)

Tony Inzero Farmers Market open through Oct. 11

WEST HAVEN, Sept. 2, 2025 — The 2025 season of the Tony Inzero Farmers Market is in full swing.

The farmers market is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Thursday on the Green, at Campbell Avenue and Main Street, and every Saturday next to the Oak Street Beach parking lot, off Captain Thomas Boulevard.

The market will feature homegrown fruits and vegetables, baked goods and homemade crafts through Oct. 11.

Parking is available on Campbell Avenue and in the City Hall municipal lot, 355 Main St., as well as in the Oak Street municipal lot and on Palace Street. Oak Street is on the senior shuttle route and the CTtransit route.

The farmers market was dedicated in 2010 in memory of Anthony F. “Tony” Inzero, a leader in the downtown business community who co-owned Flower Affair on Campbell Avenue with Betty DelVecchio for many years. Inzero was a founding member and longtime president of the West Haven Business Association who spearheaded a variety of events and programs to drum up business for fellow merchants, including the first farmers market in 2000.

Inzero, who lived in Hamden, died in 2009 at age 59.

New Washington Elementary School opens, ushering in ‘A New Beginning’

WEST HAVEN, Aug. 20, 2025 — With hundreds of students, parents and teachers witnessing history in the making, Board of Education Chairwoman Cebi Waterfield, Superintendent of Schools Neil C. Cavallaro and Mayor Dorinda Borer led city and state leaders in a ribbon-cutting to celebrate the official opening of West Haven’s new $44.28 million, 61,770-square-foot Washington Elementary School on Aug. 19.

The late-afternoon ceremony, dubbed “A New Beginning,” took place outside the school’s side entrance at 369 Washington Ave. before moving inside the gymnasium for the speaking portion to mark “the next great chapter in West Haven Public Schools.”

To commemorate the momentous occasion, Borer, Cavallaro and Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz delivered remarks congratulating and praising Washington Elementary School, which has proudly served the neighborhood and honored the nation’s first president, George Washington, since 1909.

“Thanks to its rebirth today as a new state-of-the-art facility, this spirited school will continue to provide a rich tradition of academic excellence for our students who deserve that opportunity,” the mayor told the assembled crowd.

Cavallaro said the school was built on the site of the former school and will provide a state-of-the-art learning environment for a diverse community of students in prekindergarten through fourth grade.

“Mayor Dorinda Borer has been a strong advocate for this project since her days with the state Legislature,” said the superintendent, who served as the master of ceremonies. “She assisted with the necessary approvals and, more importantly, secured the most funding that we were allowed by law. She did a wonderful job. As mayor, her commitment has never wavered.”

In 2021, Washington, the city’s oldest elementary school at the time, was named on the state’s priority list for a new school.

Two years later, Borer, then a West Haven state representative, secured the state bond funding to push the school building project across the finish line.

“I am very grateful to Neil Cavallaro, who has been a strong champion for this school district and always advocating for funding, resources and leading a great team,” Borer said. “He stressed the need for this project to happen for our students to be on time and within budget — and it was.”

West Haven Building Committee Chairman Ken Carney said the $45.48 million project was completed $1.2 million under budget.

“This achievement reflects not only the careful planning of the Building Committee but also the strong partnership between city leaders, the Board of Education and the state,” Carney said.

Borer thanked the committee for shepherding the project from conception to completion, “always keeping in mind the needs of our students.”

Borer also thanked former Mayor Nancy R. Rossi, who was in attendance, for initiating the school building project and working with her to get it off the ground.

Other attendees included state Rep. Bill Heffernan, D-West Haven, and Board of Education and City Council members.

Cavallaro said students will “reach for the stars” inside the dynamic new building, which is equipped with energy-efficient systems and modern technology, including school security tools and resources, to help West Haven’s children thrive.

“You are standing in one of the most modern, smart schools in the state of Connecticut,” Borer said. “This very room you’re standing in, the gym, will actually detect the body heat in the number of bodies in the room when the children are playing and pump the air based on that.”

“We’re very proud to have (this school) here in the city West Haven,” said the mayor, giving a shoutout to the “winning team” of Principal Alicia Limosani and her faculty and staff.

The hourlong ceremony also featured remarks by Waterfield and Limosani.

“Washington Elementary School has stood as a cornerstone of this community for generations,” Waterfield said. “The values, spirit and sense of central community that have defined this school for over a century will continue to live on.”

Limosani said: “Our students will have the best in all areas to learn and grow socially and emotionally. I am most excited to see my students’ faces light up when they see their new school and to see my teachers take their teaching to another level with the technology they now have. This will be a warm, loving and supportive place where all students can and will learn.”

The ceremony included the Pledge of Allegiance led by Washington fourth grader Ryan Remigio and “The Star-Spangled Banner” performed by the West Haven High School Band. It also included musical selections by the band.

The pomp and circumstance followed with a tour of the new two-story school.

Carney said the new school, with 26 classrooms serving an estimated 436 students, is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, complete with an elevator, cameras and energy-efficient lavatories.

Other features include air conditioning, energy-saving fixtures and wireless internet. They are complemented by a state-of-the-art playground, media center and kitchen.

Carney said the school was built by Gilbane Building Co. of Glastonbury and took 18 months to complete.

The school was designed by Bridgeport-based Antinozzi Associates, which he said went to great pains to ensure the new building reflects the architecture and spirit of the surrounding neighborhood, even incorporating a sloping roof to maintain the neighborhood’s aesthetic.