West New York, NJ Landscaping Rules: Composting (2026)

Section 306-3(A)(1) of the Town of West New York Code is the composting rule. Leaves can be recycled by composting on the property of the owner, lessee or occupant, or by placing them at designated collection sites on designated days in accordance with applicable regulations. Leaves placed for collection must go in containers designated by the Town of West New York or its authorized agent for composting. Section 306-2(A)(1) makes this mandatory for dwelling units by requiring the composting of leaves alongside the separation of newspapers, aluminum cans and glass food and beverage containers.

The Code defines its terms narrowly. Section 306-1 defines composting as a process by which organic materials are turned into humus, similar to topsoil, and defines leaves as foliage from plants and trees only. Grass clippings, hedge trimmings, twigs, sticks, branches and shrubbery fall under the separate definition of yard waste, so the composting rule of § 306-3(A)(1) is written for leaves. Chapter 306 prints no size, siting or construction standard for a home compost bin, and no inspection procedure for one; the only container requirement is that leaves put out for collection be in a container the Town or its agent designates.

The Recycling Coordinator sets the collection days and sites under § 306-6, with notice published in the Hudson Dispatch and/or the Jersey Journal for a continuous period of not less than seven days, at least 15 days before the first scheduled collection. Under § 306-3(A) the Town can grant exemptions to physically disabled natural persons. Residents who compost on their own property are not exempt from the littering article: § 306-11 names leaves and other lawn or garden waste among the materials that cannot be discarded on public or private property outside a designated receptacle or container.