Elizabeth, NJ Trash & Recycling: Pickup Rules & Schedules (2026)
Key Facts
- Required container
- Metal or plastic with regulation cover
- Not allowed
- Loose bags, open boxes, baskets
- Paper separation
- Cardboard and newspaper bundled apart
- Bundling rule
- Cardboard flattened to newspaper size
- Related rule
- No mixed recyclables in trash pickup (§8.36.055)
Summary
Elizabeth's scavenger service will only collect garbage, trash or refuse packed in metal or plastic containers with regulation covers; loose bags, open boxes and baskets are barred. Cardboard and newspaper must be separated out, tied in bundles, and cardboard flattened to newspaper size before bundling.
All garbage, trash or refuse placed along the curb for collection by the city's scavenger services shall be put in metal and/or plastic containers with regulation covers. No garbage, trash or refuse shall be placed in loose bags, open boxes or baskets. All cardboard boxes and newspapers, as that term is defined in Section 8.32.020, must be separated from all other garbage, trash or refuse, securely tied in bundles and placed along the curb for collection by the city's scavenger services, all cardboard boxes which are bundled with newspaper must be broken down to the approximate size of the newspaper to which it is tied.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 31).
Full Breakdown
060 sets the baseline for how residents must present material for city collection: garbage, trash or refuse placed at the curb for the scavenger service must go into metal and/or plastic containers with regulation covers, and loose bags, open boxes or baskets are not acceptable. 020, must be kept apart from other garbage, trash or refuse, securely tied in bundles, and set at the curb for the scavenger service. Cardboard that is bundled together with newspaper must first be broken down to roughly the size of the newspaper it is tied to, so mixed bundles collect cleanly.
055 separately makes it unlawful for the city's solid waste collectors to pick up trash that is visibly mixed with, or displays a warning sticker for containing, designated recyclable materials, reinforcing that garbage and recyclables must stay in their required containers and streams.
Violations & Fines
Setting out garbage or refuse in loose bags, open boxes or baskets instead of covered metal or plastic containers violates § 8.24.060 and is enforced by the city's scavenger service and department of public works through the Code's general violation process in the Elizabeth Municipal Court.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of trash can can I use for curbside pickup in Elizabeth?
Do cardboard and newspaper need to be separated from regular trash?
Will the city collect my trash if recyclables are mixed in?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Elizabeth
Compare Elizabeth to another location·View the New Jersey trash & recycling overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.