Hamburg Village, NY Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)

Section 198-23 is the dumping prohibition in the Village of Hamburg. No person shall cart to, dump or deposit any municipal solid waste upon any property in the Village except under the authorization, supervision and direction of the Director of Public Works. The ban reaches any property, not only public land, so a pile left on a vacant lot is covered the same as a pile left on a street.

Penalties are in § 198-24, amended 10-3-2016 by L.L. No. 7-2016. Subsection A targets people in the business of collecting waste or recyclables who are not authorized by the Village or who collect in a manner not in compliance with the article: a violation punishable by a fine of not less than $500 and not exceeding $5,000, or imprisonment not exceeding 15 days, or both, with each day a separate offense. Subsection B sets the schedule for waste generators who break provisions designated as a violation: a written warning for the first, $50 for the second within one year, $100 for the third and $200 for the fourth and each later one. Those fines double if not paid within 15 days of the violation notice. Subsection C adds that these penalties are in addition to any other remedies available at law or equity.

Process matters too. The Director of Public Works sends a written notice of violation (§ 198-19), served personally or by registered mail at least 10 days before the hearing. The hearing is before the Village Justice at least 10 days after service, and the Village Justice decides within 20 days after it closes (§ 198-20). Under § 198-22, vehicles and containers used to haul or dispose of solid waste are subject to inspection. Section 198-14 adds that construction and demolition debris from a contractor's work must be removed by the contractor, and homeowner debris at the curb is capped at 10 containers or bundles of not more than 60 pounds each.