Toms River, NJ Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)

Chapter 524, Dumping, was adopted by the Board of Health of the Township of Dover, now Toms River, on July 15, 1974 by Ordinance No. 5-74, and its dumping ban still governs today. Section 524-1A makes it unlawful to dump, dispose of or accumulate refuse, rubbish, garbage, ashes, offal, decaying or vegetable substance, spoiled matter, debris or other waste materials anywhere in the Township other than in an area officially designated as a public municipal dumping area. Section 524-1B separately bars anyone from establishing, maintaining or permitting any other dumping area, and it keeps motor vehicles registered over 5,000 pounds out of the Township's designated disposal areas, except vehicles owned, leased or operated by Toms River Township itself. Section 524-2 goes further and declares any undesignated dumping area a detriment to public health, a public nuisance and unlawful in its own right, giving the Township an additional legal hook beyond the dumping ban itself.

The penalty provision, § 524-3, was added September 27, 1988 by Ordinance No. 2611-88 and amended August 14, 1991 by Ordinance No. 2850-91, replacing a softer 1970s penalty section repealed in 1980. Beyond the $1,000 mandatory fine and mandatory community service, Toms River's Law Department is separately authorized to sue a convicted violator to recoup the Township's cleanup and enforcement costs, on top of the criminal penalty, so a single dumping conviction can carry fines, forced labor and civil liability at once.