On Thursday, January 8, at 7 pm, members of Housatonic Resource Recovery Authority (HRRA) will be at Newtown Community Center, 8 Simpson Street, to discuss the recent changes to Newtown’s curbside recycling program.

As of January 1, residents who do not use a private hauler for their garbage and recycling pickup have to take recycling to Newtown's transfer station on Ethan Allen Road.

Thursday's talk will include topics such as what the changes will look like, what haulers are allowed to charge by law for recycling pickup, what the town’s obligations are, what happens if residents do not recycle, and how to use the transfer station for recycling for those who may have never done that before. HRRA is the regional, governmental, waste management and recycling authority serving 14 municipalities in western Connecticut including Newtown.

According to HRRA Executive Director Jennifer Heaton-Jones, for those who have attended previous HRRA’s “Trash Talks,” this week's program will have abbreviated elements of those talks, such as how to “recycling right” and how to not “wish-cycle.”

The talk will also go over what is next for the community and how residents can move forward. Heaton-Jones said the program will “hopefully help clear up any confusion about the cancellation of curbside recycling [and go over] expectations from the public."

For more information regarding recycling, the save-as-you-throw program, or HRRA, go to hrra.org.