If you're putting such personal papers and mail in the bins to start with, I'd say you have bigger problems that can collectors, who couldn't care less about your non-redeemable mail :) Yes it's technically taking away some recycling revenue from the City, but these are generally people who are desperately poor and need every 5 cents they can get their hands on. I let them be; it's the very least you can do. If you don't want to bother getting your deposit back, let them do it. Or put your redeemable items in a separate bag on top of everything else and they won't have to root around; I do this as well. Have a good day.

Put your redeemables in a separate plastic bag and put it out next to the bin

Yes, I know not to put personal papers in the bin, but others may not. My main concern, though, is about the noise factor. Every week I am awakened around 2:00 am by loud clanking and the bins being rolled around outside my window. This happens even when I leave out my redeemable items next to the bins. I am happy to let people take these things if they can use them, but the digging around through closed containers in the middle of the night does not seem right. (Neither of course does the poverty that makes such activity necessary.....)

Putting the "redeemables" in a separate bag doesn't stop the problem. It only helps the first scrounger that comes though in the night and doesn't stop the noise problem (unless the first one leaves a message that he/she already got them all)!

Try sleeping with a fan on.

I've been leaving redeemables out in the open on recycling day, so people who need them can collect them with a little more dignity and less noise. Now, on to prodding New Haven to offer better social services for its poor and homeless!

Closed.