Garbage/Recycling 

Information regarding garbage collection, grass/garden debris, recycling, bulk collection, fall leaf pick up, and other services can be found in the Borough Calendar (PDF)

Please Note: 2023 recycling will occur on Wednesdays, alternating EAST and WEST sides of town.

Garbage Collection

Reminder – Collection begins at 2 am. Please have your garbage at the curb the night before your scheduled collection.


Check out Recycle Coach for detailed recycling information and a downloadable app!

2023 Bulk Collection Pick-Up - All Zones Have Been Completed

Bulk Collection occurs once a year in June.

  • Zone 3 – Monday, June 5
  • Zone 2 – Monday, June 12
  • Zone 1A – Monday, June 19
  • Zone 1B – Monday, June 26

Items must be placed at your curb by 2 am on the designated Monday for your Zone. Please see the 2023 Calendar for details.

Check pages 3 and 4 of the calendar for bulk collection dates and street listings by zone. Check pages 13 and 15 for more information on bulk collection.

Please Note: Bulk collection may be delayed. Keep your items at the curb starting on your designated pick up date. Trucks will be around to collect as soon as they can.

2023 Borough Recycling

EAST and WEST side curbside recycling is collected on WEDNESDAYS, on alternating weeks. Please place items at curbside by 2 am on collection day. See 2023 Calendar (PDF) for details.

Recycling will occur on alternating weeks for the east side and west sides of the borough:

  • EAST side = Summit line to South St. (includes South St. even and Passaic St. odd numbered houses)
  • WEST side = Berkeley Heights line to South St. (includes South St. odd and Passaic St. even numbered houses)

The borough utilizes single-stream recycling. Residents do not need to separate recycling materials. All recycling materials may be placed, unsorted, in one recycling bin.

Recycling drop off at the Department of Public Works – electronics, appliances, metal, heavy plastic – 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month, 9 am to 1 pm. See calendar above for exact dates.The Public Works yard is located at 4 Park Place off of Commonwealth Avenue (next to Oakwood Park).

The DPW Recycling Center is accepting packing Styrofoam during drop off days on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of each month. 

They are also accepting plastic bags for recycling at the DPW yard the 1st and 3rd Saturday of each month. Please do not place plastic bags in regular weekly recycling bins. They are not accepting bubble wrap or packing materials (except packing styrofoam – see above). 

UPDATE:  As of January 2023, no anti-freeze will be accepted.

Our recycling company is now accepting #5 plastics! Plastic bottles and containers coded 1, 2 and 5 on the bottom can now be placed in your curbside recycling. Plastics, 3, 4, 6 and 7 should NOT be included in the curbside recycling containers – they can be thrown away in the regular garbage.

See the complete Recyclable Materials List (PDF). All of the materials in the list may also be brought to the public works yard for recycling.  Please also learn about safe syringe and medical waste disposal.

Union County Recycling

View Union County Recycling Event Schedules.

Electronics & Appliance Recycling

Electronics and Appliances Recycling is also available at Best Buy.

Recycling Regulations

The recycling industry is experiencing high levels of contamination. This is coming at a time when the requirements for quality (clean recycling) are increasing due to new policies in China. These policies have banned twenty-four types of materials and include strict quality standards.  These significant changes are affecting the recycling industry world-wide.

When non-recyclable items (contamination) end up in recycling loads, they have the potential to turn the entire load into trash and increase processing costs resulting in contamination and/or additional service charges.  Please review the following list of recycling changes:

  • Don’t bag your recyclables. Plastic bags and film get tangled in the machinery.
  • Don’t include food-soiled items– they can turn an entire load of recycling into trash.
  • Don’t add sharp or dangerous materials like needles and electronics – they can cause injury to workers.
  • Don’ t toss in “tanglers” like rubber hoses and wires – they can shut down an entire recycling
  • center!
  • Don’t include bulky items like propane tanks or construction debris.

Thank you for your cooperation. For additional tools on recycling, visit the Union County website.


Contact Information for Missed Garbage or Recycling Pickups

  • Recycling - Grand Sanitation - 908-222-1566
  • Garbage Collection – once per week – pickup day varies by street. See calendar for exact dates.
  • Suburban Disposal – Email Suburban Disposal or leave a message at 973-227-7020 (for missed garbage or brush pick up)
  • Grass/Garden Debris/Leaf pick up – every Monday from April through December. See calendar for exact dates.