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

Section 266-19 of Chapter 266 puts a named official in charge: the Mayor and Council appoint a Municipal Recycling Coordinator who also serves as enforcement agent for Article IV. Section 266-21 gives that Coordinator authority to set the commencement dates, manner, and collection times for separated recyclables, but any rule the Coordinator issues only takes effect once the Borough Council approves it, and the approved rules must be kept on file for public inspection at the Borough Clerk's office. Section 266-22 declares that from the moment recyclables are placed at the curb they become Borough property, and bars anyone not authorized by the Borough from collecting them; each unauthorized pickup from a property is its own separate offense, not a single continuing one.

Private scavengers are not shut out entirely: Section 266-24 lets them operate if they register annually with the Coordinator, disclosing the business name, location and anyone holding a 10% or greater ownership stake, and then file a monthly statement listing every property serviced, the materials collected, the quantities, and where the material was taken. on collection day. The Borough issues one 96-gallon barrel per household under Section 266-36, and only barrels carrying the Borough seal are picked up by the Department of Public Works.