Union County municipalities provide weekly trash collection and mandatory recycling under the NJ Statewide Mandatory Source Separation and Recycling Act (N.J.S.A. 13:1E-99.11). Elizabeth Department of Public Works handles collection directly; Westfield, Summit, Cranford contract private haulers. Union County Utilities Authority (UCUA) operates the transfer station in Rahway and the Resource Recovery Facility. Bins must be curbside by 6 AM. Holiday delays shift pickup one day. Multifamily buildings use private haulers under municipal contract.
Union County solid waste collection is managed at the municipal level with disposal coordinated through the Union County Utilities Authority (UCUA). Elizabeth Department of Public Works provides Monday-Friday curbside trash collection for single-family and small multifamily properties (up to 4 units) with recycling pickup biweekly per Chapter 8.20. Bins must be at curbside by 6:00 AM on collection day and retrieved within 24 hours of pickup. Westfield Department of Public Works operates a three-stream program (trash, recycling, yard waste) with weekly trash and biweekly recycling. Summit Public Works uses private contractor with weekly collection. Cranford, Rahway, Linden, Plainfield, and Union Township each operate distinct schedules. All Union County trash flows through the UCUA Rahway Transfer Station and ultimately the Covanta Union Resource Recovery Facility (waste-to-energy) in Rahway under the Union County Solid Waste Management Plan. Recyclables are processed at the UCUA Materials Recovery Facility. Holiday delays (New Year's Day, Memorial Day, July 4, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas) shift subsequent pickups one day. Multifamily buildings over 4 units contract directly with private haulers but must use UCUA-designated disposal facilities per the county solid waste plan.
Bins out early or left late: Elizabeth $25 to $200 per occurrence. Failure to follow recycling separation: $50 to $1,000 under N.J.S.A. 13:1E-99.11. Contaminated bins: skipped pickup plus $100 repeat-offender fine. Dumping at UCUA without proper account: $500 to $5,000.
Union County, NJ
Union County municipalities restrict leaf blower operation by hour, with Westfield, Summit, and Maplewood-adjacent Cranford imposing seasonal gas-blower limi...
Union County, NJ
Elizabeth Code Ch. 7.24 prohibits abandoned vehicles on streets (72-hr limit) or visible on private property. NJ's Abandoned Vehicle Law (N.J.S.A. 39:10A-1) ...
Union County, NJ
Elizabeth and Union County municipalities require building permits for retaining walls over 4 ft (measured from bottom of footing to top of wall) per N.J.A.C...
Union County, NJ
NJ Uniform Construction Code (N.J.A.C. 5:23-3.14) mandates minimum 4-ft pool barriers. Elizabeth and most Union County towns require 5-ft fences with self-cl...
Union County, NJ
NJ Division of Fish & Wildlife prohibits feeding of black bears (N.J.A.C. 7:25-5.25) statewide. Union County municipalities also restrict feeding of deer, fe...
Union County, NJ
Union County is urban/suburban with low wildfire risk — not a designated NJ Forest Fire Service high-hazard zone. NJ Forest Fire Service (N.J.S.A. 13:9-1) re...
See how Union County's pickup rules & schedules rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.