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

The City Council enacted the source-separation program in Chapter 161, Article II, to comply with the New York Solid Waste Management Act of 1988, which required the city to begin mandatory recycling by September 1, 1992, and set state goals of 25% waste reduction by 1992 and 50% by 1997. Section 161-4B requires every household to source-separate recyclables, defined to include glass, plastic, metal cans, newspapers, corrugated cardboard, magazines, kraft or brown paper bags, scrap metal, white goods, tires, yard waste, milk and juice containers and junk mail, before setting waste out for collection, and § 161-4A(2) makes clear the separation duty applies even to waste a private hauler later takes outside the city for disposal.

Section 161-4E requires every resident to use the recycling containers the city specifies by regulation, and the city supplies decals identifying what belongs in each container. Contract haulers and recyclers operating in the city must separately register with the Director of Solid Waste under § 161-4K, certifying that they will keep source-separated waste separate, deliver it to a secondary materials facility, and never burn or landfill recyclable material, on pain of losing their collection privileges. The Commissioner of General Services may adopt further rules and regulations to carry out the program under § 161-4L, and any published rule takes effect 30 days after adoption or 15 days after publication in the official newspaper, whichever is later.