Clifton, NJ Trash & Recycling: Dumpster Rules (2026)

Chapter 209, Article I, adopted in 1985, regulates the location, use, placement and construction of dumpsters. Section 209-2 bars encumbering any street, highway, lane or public place with a dumpster except in compliance with the article, and Section 209-4 requires anyone who offers or provides a dumpster for use or hire in Clifton to register first with the City Clerk. Section 209-5 sets the annual registration fee at $400, running one year from the registration or renewal date. Section 209-6 layers on placement restrictions: dumpsters on public streets must comply with Title 39 of the New Jersey Statutes and Clifton's parking ordinances, must sit at least five feet from an adjacent driveway, can occupy no more than a third of the roadway width, and can only be placed 24 hours before construction starts and must be removed within 24 hours of completion, with the street swept clean afterward.

Section 209-7 requires each dumpster to display the owner's name, address and phone number, and to have reflectorized front and rear surfaces for night visibility. Section 209-8 lets Police impound a violating dumpster after 12 hours' oral notice to the owner, or immediately if it blocks a driveway or creates a road hazard, with written notice to the owner by certified mail within five days.