Hackensack, NJ Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)

Chapter 109, Article II of the Hackensack City Code targets illegal dumping separately from the litter provisions in Article I. Section 109-15 makes it unlawful for any person to discard, dump or store solid waste along any street or road, on or off a right-of-way, or on any other public or private property in the city, whether the waste is household or commercial in origin. The list of covered material is broad: solid waste, rubbish, refuse, litter, junk, junk vehicle parts, rubber tires, appliances, furniture and construction debris.

The only exception is a location specifically designated for solid waste storage or disposal, such as a permitted transfer station or an approved municipal receptacle. Section 109-16 sets the penalty: a fine not to exceed $1,000, and the violator must also reimburse the city or its agent for reasonable cleanup costs actually incurred removing the dumped material. That reimbursement piece matters for large-scale dumping, such as a contractor leaving construction debris on a vacant lot or a resident abandoning furniture at the curb outside of a scheduled bulk pickup, because it lets the city recover hauling and disposal costs on top of the court fine.

The chapter's general litter provisions in Article I are enforced by the Police Department and municipal officials under § 109-13, and the same enforcement structure applies to illegal dumping under Article II. Property owners who find dumped material on their own land are not themselves liable under § 109-15 unless they are the ones who deposited it or arranged for its disposal there.