New Brunswick, NJ Trash & Recycling: Bulk Item Disposal (2026)

New Brunswick Municipal Code § 8.40.040(F) governs bulk items. Bulk items, except metal, demolition, construction or repair materials, and yard debris, can be placed at the curb on the second trash collection day of the week, but only if an appointment was scheduled with the division of sanitation before 1 p.m. the day before the scheduled collection. Bulk items and household appliances must have all doors or lids removed, and the department of public works must be notified by 1 p.m. the day before. No residential user can place more than six combined bulk items and trash bags per dwelling unit on a given collection day, with a maximum of thirty (30) items per residential multifamily complex. A maximum of six trash cans, bags or bulk items is collected per unit. All mattresses and box springs must be completely wrapped in plastic before collection.

"Equipment and bulk material" is defined in § 8.40.020 as materials acceptable for collection that cannot be placed in solid waste containers because of weight or dimensions, including furniture, mattresses, box springs, trunks, dressers and toilets. It excludes household appliances, scrap metal, tires, metal pipes, motor parts, batteries and other machinery. Household appliances go out only when scheduled in advance with the department of public works. Under § 8.40.040(F)(2), no metal or demolition, construction or repair material goes to the curb unless the resident first obtains permission from the director of public works, who decides whether it is acceptable for landfill or must go by private removal at a separate charge. Contractors must arrange prompt removal by private carting firms and file a debris plan with the construction official when applying for a building permit.

Households in the automated collection district must call by 1 p.m. the day before their trash day to schedule bulk items, and no bulk item can go in a container (§ 8.40.030(D)(4)). Brush is defined as branches and woody plants up to five inches in diameter, plus Christmas trees, and § 8.40.110(E)(9) directs it to the curb under the department of public works guidelines. White goods such as washers, dryers, ranges, refrigerators and air conditioners are mandatory recyclables, and devices containing CFCs must be evacuated by licensed individuals.