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

Plainfield's litter article, Chapter 10, Article 5, carries the City's illegal dumping rule. Section 10:5-6(d) says no person shall dump along any street or road, on or off any right-of-way, any household or commercial waste, rubbish, refuse, junk, vehicle or vehicle parts, appliances, furniture, on property not specifically designated for the purpose of solid waste disposal. The same section also bars throwing or depositing litter on a private or public place from a vehicle (subsection (a)), driving a truck or vehicle not constructed, loaded and covered to prevent its load from escaping (subsection (b)), and letting wheels or tires deposit mud, dirt or foreign matter on a street or other place (subsection (c)).

Section 10:5-1 gives the words reach. Litter includes garbage, refuse and rubbish, grass clippings and other lawn or garden waste, and demolition or construction material. Debris includes lawn and garden material, leaves, small bushes, Christmas trees, and household demolition material such as wallboard, plaster, wood, concrete and dirt. Disposal includes the dumping, spilling or placing of any solid waste.

Other sections close the gaps. Section 10:5-7 bars litter on public or private lots, and § 10:5-13 bars litter on private property whether owned by the person or not. Section 10:5-13.1 makes it unlawful for an owner, agent or contractor in charge of a construction or demolition site to permit litter to accumulate, and requires containers adequate for the debris. Section 10:5-14 requires the owner or person in control of private property to keep the premises free of litter at all times.

Section 10:5-19 sets the penalties for any violation of the article, and a convicted person is subject to any or all of them: the fine ladder, jail on later offenses, mandatory restitution to the party caused to remove the litter, and community service not exceeding 60 hours.