Southampton Town recycling centers and green bags

The Town of Southampton does not collect garbage at the curb and does not issue a dump permit. Residents haul their own trash in green Town bags to one of four recycling centers, and the price of disposal is built into the bag. If you are renting in Southampton Town, see year-round rentals in Southampton, then use this page to set up trash on day one.

The four recycling centers

Green bags and recyclables are accepted from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Fee-based disposal, such as bulky items, runs on the scale, which closes at 3:30 p.m. The Town’s Waste Management Division answers questions at 631-283-5210, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Holiday closings are published in the Town’s holiday schedule.

Green bags

All household garbage goes in a green Town garbage bag, and nothing else goes in it. The Town lists the retail price as $18.25 for five large bags and $10.25 for five small bags. Disposal fees are included in the price.

The bags are sold at local stores that the Town lists by hamlet. Among them are King Kullen in Hampton Bays, Eastport and Bridgehampton, Stop & Shop and Herrick Hardware in Southampton village, Emporium Hardware and Schiavoni’s Market in Sag Harbor, and Wainscott Hardware. The Town’s list is the one to trust, so check it before a trip.

Recycling is free and mandatory

Recycling is required of residents in Southampton Town. Bring recyclables separately from the green bags. Corrugated cardboard, mixed paper, cans, glass bottles and plastics #1 and #2 are accepted at no charge. The Town defines thin-film plastic as shopping bags, dry-cleaning plastic and bubble wrap.

Other items

• Electronics: free at the North Sea and Hampton Bays centers.
• Leaves: loose leaves from residential self-haulers are free all year. Brush costs a small fee that depends on the vehicle, with two amnesty periods when it is free.
• Paint: latex and water-based paint can go in a green bag once it has dried. Leave the can open and outside or somewhere ventilated until then.
• Batteries: regular household batteries go in the green bags. Rechargeable batteries go back to the retailers who sell them.
• Fireplace ashes: keep them out of green bags and out of leaves and brush. The Town warns they can reignite.
• Bulky items and construction debris: disposed of for a fee under the Town’s published fee schedule.

If you live in a village

The Town’s published system applies to the Town. Incorporated villages inside it, such as Southampton, Sag Harbor and Westhampton Beach, can have their own arrangements, and the Town does not publish them. Ask the village clerk before you assume the green-bag rules cover your address. The next town east works differently: East Hampton Town sells an annual recycling-center permit.

For renters

Ask the owner two things before you sign. First, whether a private carter is already under contract for the house. Second, who buys the green bags. Get both answers in writing. The utilities checklist for rentals lists the rest.