Edison, NJ Trash & Recycling: Recycling Requirements (2026)

New Jersey's Mandatory Source Separation and Recycling Act (N.J.S.A. 13:1E-99.11 et seq., enacted in 1987) requires every municipality to adopt and enforce a recycling ordinance, and Edison's Chapter 21 implements that mandate. The ordinance requires that 'all individuals, firms, entities, associations, organizations, businesses, corporations or companies must separate designated recyclables in an appropriate receptacle and/or at an appropriate drop-off site as designated by the Director of Public Works.' Edison runs a single-stream curbside program that accepts: newspapers, magazines, mixed paper, cardboard (cut down and placed next to the bin, not bagged), food and beverage containers, glass bottles and jars (no window or mirror glass), plastic containers #1 PET and #2 HDPE, aluminum cans, tin and bimetal cans. Items NOT accepted include plastic bags (return to grocery), styrofoam, food-soiled paper, ceramics, light bulbs, batteries, and electronics (separate recycling center). For new construction, Chapter 21 requires that any planning-board application for subdivision of 50+ single-family units, any multifamily project of 3+ units, or any commercial/institutional/industrial project of 1,000+ sq ft of land utilization must include a recycling plan, and the certificate of occupancy will not issue without a signed contract with a licensed recycling hauler. Multi-family and commercial properties that fail to recycle are subject to Chapter 21 fines plus NJDEP enforcement under the state Act.