Rochester, NY Trash & Recycling: Recycling Requirements (2026)

Chapter 20, Article IV of the Refuse Code governs recycling. Under § 20-51, recyclables must be prepared according to Commissioner-issued rules and placed in the City-supplied recycling container, set no more than three feet apart from refuse, and put out between the sidewalk and curb no earlier than the night before the scheduled collection; the container must come back in within 24 hours after pickup. Items too large, heavy or bulky for the container, such as appliances, are set out separately with locking mechanisms disabled or doors removed.

Anything placed in the container that isn't on the Commissioner's approved recyclables list is a violation. Once recyclables are at the curb they immediately become City property under § 20-52 and cannot be scavenged. The City provides one recycling container per residential customer at no charge under § 20-54 and will replace damaged containers, though it may charge a replacement fee equal to the cost of a new one. Commercial customers must identify their recyclable items and file a source-separation plan with the Commissioner under § 20-55, or use a licensed private commercial refuse and/or recyclable collector, all of whom must offer recycling service and deliver material to an authorized recycling facility.

Property owners can shift primary recycling compliance responsibility to tenants under § 20-57 with the Commissioner's approval, and residents who are physically unable to bring a container to the curb and live alone (or with no one able to do it) can apply for a curbside exemption under § 20-58.