Hackensack, NJ Trash & Recycling: Yard Waste Collection (2026)
Key Facts
- Yard waste defined as
- Leaves and grass clippings
- Storm drain buffer
- 10 feet, at all times
- Curbside window (loose waste)
- 7 days before collection
- Enforcing agency
- Property Maintenance Department
- Max fine per article
- $1,000
Summary
Hackensack regulates leaves and grass clippings under two companion ordinances. City Code § 93-14 bars sweeping or blowing yard waste within 10 feet of a storm drain at any time, and § 93-18 allows loose, uncontainerized leaves at the curb only during the seven days before a scheduled and announced collection.
Sweeping, raking, blowing or otherwise placing yard waste that is not containerized at the curb or along the street is only allowed during the seven days prior to a scheduled and announced collection, and shall not be placed closer than 10 feet from any storm drain inlet. Placement of such yard waste at the curb or along the street at any other time or in any other manner is a violation of this article. If such placement of yard waste occurs, the party responsible for placement of the yard waste must remove the yard waste from the street or said party shall be deemed in violation of this article. ... Any person(s) who is found to be in violation of the provisions of this article shall be subject to a fine not to exceed $1,000.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4592721; v20 updated 2026-01-06; through 01-06-2026).
Full Breakdown
Hackensack defines "yard waste" narrowly as leaves and grass clippings under both § 93-13 and § 93-17. Article III (§§ 93-13 to 93-16) protects storm drains: no owner, occupant, landscaper or contractor may sweep, rake, blow or otherwise place yard waste within 10 feet of any storm drain inlet, enforced by the Property Maintenance Department under § 93-15. Article IV (§§ 93-17 to 93-20) governs curbside timing: loose, uncontainerized yard waste can only go out at the curb or along the street during the seven days immediately before a scheduled and announced collection, and it still can't sit within 10 feet of a storm drain inlet.
If yard waste is placed out at any other time or in any other manner, the person responsible must remove it or is deemed in violation. Containerizing waste, in a trash can, bucket, bag or other vessel that prevents it from spilling into the street or contacting stormwater, sidesteps the seven-day window entirely. Both articles are enforced by the Property Maintenance Department under §§ 93-15 and 93-19, not the Division of Sanitation that handles regular trash and recycling.
Violations & Fines
Each article carries its own penalty: violating the storm-drain buffer under § 93-16 or the curbside timing rule under § 93-20 can each draw a fine of up to $1,000, enforced by the Property Maintenance Department rather than through the Chapter 93 municipal collection citation process used for garbage and recycling.
Frequently Asked Questions
When can I put leaves out at the curb in Hackensack?
Can I rake leaves near a storm drain?
Who enforces Hackensack's yard waste rules?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Hackensack
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