Amherst, NY Trash & Recycling: Recycling Rules (2026)

Section 169-9 of the Solid Waste chapter declares that any time a resident places material in the public right-of-way for Town collection, that recyclable material becomes the property of the Town of Amherst. No person may collect, pick up or remove it, or cause it to be collected, picked up or removed, unless acting under the authority of the Town or its authorized agent, and each unauthorized collection, pickup or removal is a separate violation of the article. The only exception: if the Town has refused to collect material because it was not prepared or placed according to Chapter 169's rules, the person who put it out must remove it themselves rather than leave it in the right-of-way.

This ownership rule works alongside the collection duties in § 169-7, which requires multiresidential complexes to maintain recycling collection areas for their residents and requires every commercial, industrial and institutional establishment in Amherst to source-separate its recyclables and arrange for their collection, whether by direct marketing, hauler contract, or delivery to a processing facility. Together these sections mean recycling in Amherst is not simply abandoned property free for the taking; it is committed to the Town's own program from the moment it hits the curb, and building owners and generators carry an independent duty to keep that stream properly separated.