Mandatory recycling under NJ Statewide Mandatory Source Separation Act (N.J.S.A. 13:1E-99.11) and Union County Solid Waste Management Plan. Residential and commercial recyclables include paper, cardboard, glass, aluminum/steel cans, and plastics #1 and #2. Union County Utilities Authority (UCUA) Materials Recovery Facility processes all county recycling. Contaminated bins skipped. Multi-family and commercial mandatory recycling enforced. Food waste diversion emerging under NJ Food Waste Reduction Act.
Union County recycling operates under the state's mandatory source-separation regime (N.J.S.A. 13:1E-99.11) and the Union County Solid Waste Management Plan administered by UCUA. Accepted residential single-stream materials include newspaper, cardboard, mixed paper, glass bottles and jars, aluminum and steel cans, and rigid plastics #1 (PET) and #2 (HDPE). Plastics #3-#7 are not accepted in most Union County programs as of 2025 due to end-market limits. Plastic bags must go to retail drop-off (not curbside). Elizabeth Chapter 8.20 enforces separation with contaminated bin rejection and escalating fines. The New Jersey Food Waste Reduction Act (N.J.S.A. 13:1E-99.124, effective October 2021) requires large food waste generators producing over 52 tons per year (schools, hospitals, supermarkets, food manufacturers) located within 25 road miles of an authorized food waste recycling facility to divert food waste from landfills. Newark Liberty Airport food concessions fall under this requirement. Commercial and multi-family recycling is mandatory countywide. Yard waste (leaves, brush) is collected seasonally by most municipalities and composted at the UCUA yard waste facility or municipal sites. Scotch Plains and Westfield operate drop-off leaf collection programs.
Residential contamination: bins skipped, $25 to $200 fines for repeat. Commercial mandatory recycling violation: $500 to $2,500 per day under N.J.S.A. 13:1E-99.13. Food Waste Reduction Act violation: $1,000 to $25,000 per day. Placing non-recyclables in recycling: loss of service plus fines.
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