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

Section 14-18(f) carves seventeen categories of 'unacceptable waste' out of Syracuse's regular household collection, effective January 1, 1991. The excluded items include yard waste like brush, leaves, and grass clippings; construction and demolition debris; insecticides and pesticides; paints, solvents, and thinners, except air-dried latex paint; human and animal remains; acids, caustics, and poisons; explosives; motor and cutting oils; auto and household batteries; septic waste; cleaning fluids; hazardous waste; drugs; pressurized propane and compressed-gas containers; and hot or burning materials. A narrow exception lets ordinary animal or human waste go out with regular household trash if it's properly and securely wrapped, and the ordinance notes D.P.W.'s preference for cloth diapers where practical.

Residents with questions about how to dispose of a specific item are directed to call D.P.W. directly rather than guess. Section 14-18(g) backs the exclusion list with a fine: including any unacceptable waste with household, commercial, or industrial waste set out for collection is a $50.00 violation for each occurrence, though the commissioner may issue only a warning for a first-time offense. Some categories carry heavier separate penalties elsewhere in the chapter: Section 14-25 makes improperly disposing of hazardous waste a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in prison, on top of the $50.00 unacceptable-waste fine under Section 14-18(g).