Bayonne, NJ Trash & Recycling: Recycling Rules (2026)

Chapter 26 of the Revised General Ordinances requires Bayonne residents, businesses and institutions to source-separate designated recyclables rather than mixing them into household trash. Under § 26-1.3, leaves must be set aside for composting, while newspapers, glass food and beverage containers and aluminum beverage cans must be separated from the regular solid waste stream generated by every dwelling unit; commercial and industrial establishments and public or private institutions must additionally separate corrugated cardboard and high-grade paper. Each material has its own preparation rule: newspapers must be compacted and tied into bundles no thicker than 12 inches; glass and aluminum containers go into a receptacle capped at 10 gallons, with no deliberately broken glass allowed; and corrugated cardboard must be collapsed and bundled to no more than two feet in any dimension and 40 pounds.

Anyone using a private hauler or an outside recycling program instead of the City's own collection must still comply: § 26-1.8 requires quarterly tonnage verification reports to the Recycling Coordinator, due within 20 days of each quarter's end, or the City can terminate that program's participation. The Police Department and Solid Waste Division enforce the chapter under § 26-1.9. A person, firm or corporation that fails to separate and prepare recyclables as required is subject to a fine of up to $1,250 and up to 90 days in jail under § 26-1.10, though the code sets the practical penalty at no more than $25 for a first violation and $25 to $500 for a second.