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

Section 165-2 of Chapter 165, Garbage, Rubbish, Refuse and Recycling, prohibits any person from putting, depositing or leaving rubbish, refuse or other material in or upon the sidewalks or gutters of streets, public places, parking lots or public buildings in the Village. The companion section, § 165-3, extends the same prohibition to private property, barring anyone from depositing rubbish, refuse or offensive material on their own land or another's where it may be detrimental to public health, safety or welfare. Related sections fill out the chapter's dumping rules: § 165-12 separately bars using any waste as landfill anywhere in the Village, and § 165-4 makes every owner, tenant or occupant responsible for keeping sidewalks, backyards, courts and alleys free of garbage and rubbish.

Enforcement of § 165-2 falls to the Village of Ridgewood Police Department, the Construction Official, the Health Department Sanitarian, and the Director of Public Works or a designated representative, per § 165-17. A. 7:12-4 and effective for offenses on or after September 23, 2020, sets a specific $75 payable amount for a § 165-2 deposit-on-public-property violation, and the same $75 amount applies to the private-property version in § 165-3. Where no specific fine applies, § 1-15A's general penalty otherwise allows up to a $1,000 fine, up to 90 days in the county jail, or up to 90 days of community service.