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

Section 93-5 of the Collection and Recycling article, Chapter 93, requires the owner or a duly authorized agent of every commercial establishment, institutional establishment, or multifamily dwelling of four or more units to register annually for the city's recycling program on or before January 10 of each year, naming a contact person or registered agent responsible for the property, on a form the City Manager approves. A newly built or newly occupied qualifying property has 45 days from the issuance of its certificate of occupancy to register for the first time.

Once registered, these properties must also submit a monthly recycling report to the Department of Sanitation by the 10th day of the month for the month before, documenting the tonnage and handling of their recyclable materials, and must supply whatever supporting documentation the City requires to verify it. If a property cannot secure its own recyclable-materials collection service, Section 93-5E directs the municipality to help arrange one. The Division of Sanitation of the Department of Public Works, together with inspectors the City Manager designates, is the enforcement authority for the whole article under Section 93-4C, and Section 93-9A independently requires every occupant of these properties, like every other person in the city, to keep recyclables separated from garbage and trash regardless of who collects them.