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

Article IV of the Refuse Code, added in 1991, sets the rules for how Rochester residents and businesses handle recyclables. Under § 20-51(B), recyclables must be placed in the City-provided recycling container and set out separately, no more than three feet from any refuse container placed for collection. Section 20-51(C) fixes the timing: recyclables go to the curb no earlier than the night before the scheduled pickup, and the empty recycling container must come back off the curb within 24 hours after collection, the same rule that applies to refuse containers under Article II.

Materials too big, heavy or bulky for the recycling container are instead handled under the bulk-refuse preparation rules of § 20-15. Only items the Commissioner identifies as recyclable in the Department's rules and regulations may go in the container; § 20-51(E) makes clear that improperly prepared recyclables, or materials that are not actually recyclable, are a violation of Article IV and subject to its fines. Large appliances get their own rule: they're set at the curb like recyclables, but locking mechanisms must be disabled or doors removed before pickup, and appliances can't be used as containers for other refuse.

Under § 20-54, the City provides one recycling container per residential customer at no charge, and it remains City property; owners bear responsibility for its use, storage and care and can be charged a replacement fee if it needs to be replaced. Once collected, recyclable material becomes City property under § 20-52 and residents may not scavenge it back off the curb. Commercial recycling has its own track under § 20-55, requiring commercial customers to identify recyclable items and prepare a source-separation plan subject to the Commissioner's approval.