Ulster County, NY Trash & Recycling: Pickup Rules & Schedules (2026)

Ulster County Resource Recovery Agency (UCRRA) operates two transfer stations — the Kingston Materials Recovery Facility on Route 32 in Kingston and the New Paltz Transfer Station on Clearwater Road — handling roughly 100,000 tons of municipal solid waste annually. Residents without private pickup can purchase UCRRA Punch Cards or pay per-bag tipping fees. UCRRA also operates the County Recycling Education and Drop-Off program accepting paper, cardboard, glass, metal, #1-#2 plastics, electronics (under NY Electronic Equipment Recycling and Reuse Act, ECL Article 27 Title 26), household hazardous waste, and tires. NY State's Returnable Container Act (ECL §27-1001 et seq.) requires 5-cent deposit on beverage containers. Towns typically require trash in wildlife-resistant containers due to bear activity in Catskills townships (Shandaken, Olive, Woodstock, Denning). NY Solid Waste Management Act (ECL Article 27 Title 7) prohibits open burning of household trash year-round. Mandatory source-separation of recyclables is required under Ulster County Local Law No. 4 of 1992 and under ECL §27-0107 which requires municipalities to adopt recycling programs.