Bayonne, NJ Trash & Recycling: Yard Waste Collection (2026)

The City of Bayonne's mandatory recycling program, codified at Chapter 26 of the Revised General Ordinances, requires every dwelling unit, business and institution to separate leaves from the rest of the solid waste stream for composting purposes (§ 26-1.3). The code defines LEAVES narrowly as foliage from plants and trees only, while a separate definition for YARD WASTE covers grass clippings, hedge trimmings, twigs, sticks, branches and shrubbery. Only leaves are swept into the formal composting program: residents may compost leaves on their own property, place them at collection or pick-up sites the Recycling Coordinator designates, or bag them in containers the City or its authorized agent approves.

Other yard waste such as grass clippings and hedge trimmings is not part of this separated stream. Woody debris instead falls under the City's bulk waste rules at § 3-2.1: tree parts cut into sections no taller than four feet, cut tree stumps and brush qualify as bulk waste, collected on the same days as regular garbage with a limit of four bulky items per pickup. Larger construction-grade wood, stumps or landscaping debris beyond that limit must go through a private hauler, since Bayonne's bulk program will not take construction and demolition waste.

The Police Department and the Solid Waste Division enforce Chapter 26 (§ 26-1.9), and a violation of the separation requirements carries a fine that cannot exceed $1,250 or 90 days in jail, though the code caps the practical penalty for a first offense at no more than $25 and a second offense between $25 and $500 (§ 26-1.10).