Oyster Bay, NY Trash & Recycling: Recycling Rules (2026)

Article VI of Chapter 201 sets the ground rules for how the recycling program actually operates, separate from the mechanics of rinsing and bundling. Section 201-67 makes it a violation to deliver solid waste to the Town's solid waste disposal facility when that waste came from a recycling participant and wasn't source-separated and prepared under § 201-71. Section 201-68 goes further: from the moment recyclables are placed at the curb for collection, they belong to the Town of Oyster Bay or its authorized agent. It is a violation for anyone without Town authority to collect, pick up, remove, or otherwise interfere with recyclables sitting at the curb, which bars scavengers and unlicensed haulers from working Town routes.

Section 201-70 gives the Commissioner of Sanitation ongoing authority to redefine which materials qualify as recyclable as scrap markets shift, provided affected residents get reasonable notice of the change. Section 201-72 hands the Commissioner authority to set the actual collection schedules and routes for the solid waste disposal district. If a household ignores repeated notice to properly separate its recyclables, § 201-74 lets the Town suspend all solid waste collection at that address, not just recycling pickup, until compliance is demonstrated by placing properly prepared materials at the curb on the next scheduled date.