East Orange, NJ Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)

City Code § 156-7 flatly bars dumping on private property without consent: no person may throw, drop, dump, tow or otherwise place any solid waste, abandoned automobile, automobile parts or excavated material on private property without first obtaining permission from the property's owner or the person in possession of it. The section sits within Chapter 156's general solid waste article alongside § 156-6, which separately bars anyone other than the City's authorized collectors from tampering with, collecting, removing, cutting or untying bundled recyclables or solid waste already set at the curb, and § 156-8, which bars interfering with City employees inspecting for proper placement or removing waste, sweepings, snow or ice.

Illegal dumping violations are punished under the article's general penalty structure in § 156-15A: a first offense draws a $200 fine, a second draws $200 plus discontinuance of any related collection service until compliance, a third draws $500 with discontinued service, and a fourth or subsequent offense draws $1,000 with discontinued service, with each day a dumped item remains constituting a separate offense under § 156-15A(2). Fines collected are transmitted by the Court Clerk to the City's Tax Collector within 48 hours for deposit into the recycling grant fund or revolving relocation assistance fund under § 156-15B.

The Water Department, Public Works Department, Property Maintenance Department and Health Department are all empowered to enforce Chapter 156, per § 156-15C, meaning any of those departments can issue a summons for material dumped on private land without the owner's consent.