Twice-weekly collection
The two regular residential routes are Monday and Thursday or Tuesday and Friday. Place garbage at the usual collection location and have it ready by 6:00 a.m. Enter your address in Recycle Coach to confirm your route.
Borough of Saddle River
Public Works resident service
Garbage & Recycling
Use Recycle Coach to confirm your address-specific collection days, holiday changes, bulky pickup information and the correct disposal route for an item. Essential service information and official alternatives are also provided below.
- Regular garbage
- Twice weekly
- Recycling
- Wednesdays
- Ready for collection
- By 6:00 a.m.
- Public Works
- 201-818-2016
No recyclables in any bags.
Place accepted recyclables loose in the designated rigid container or prepare paper and cardboard exactly as the current schedule and Recycle Coach direct. Paper and plastic bags must not be used to hold materials for regular recycling collection.
Interactive collection guide
Find your schedule and disposal instructions
Enter your address to view collection information. Use the module's "What Goes Where" feature for item-specific instructions and its reporting feature for a missed collection or service concern.
Interactive guide: Visit saddleriver.gov/recycling_garbage or call Public Works at 201-818-2016.
Residential collection
How the weekly schedule works
Use Recycle Coach for your exact address and any holiday, weather or contractor change. Do not rely on a neighboring property's route.
Wednesday collection
Recycling alternates between commingled containers and paper or cardboard on scheduled Wednesdays. Some fifth Wednesdays have no recycling pickup. Check Recycle Coach or the current annual PDF before setting materials out.
Annual route-specific date
The annual schedule assigns a bulky pickup date by residential route. Bulky items go to the curb and must follow the published size, preparation and prohibited-item rules. Confirm the current date before setting anything out.
Current preparation rules
Prepare materials correctly
Correct separation is mandatory and reduces rejected loads, litter and worker hazards. The summaries below describe current 2026 municipal collection instructions, not the complete legal list of designated recyclables or every alternative recycling duty. Operational instructions may change with processing requirements.
Check the date and stream
Confirm whether the Wednesday collection is commingled or paper and cardboard. Keep garbage and each designated recycling stream separate.
Keep recyclables loose
Do not place recyclables in paper or plastic bags. Use a rigid container where directed, secure all material against wind, and do not leave loose items in a roadway or drainage area.
Have materials ready by 6:00 a.m.
Prepare everything before collection begins. If an item is not clearly listed, use "What Goes Where" or contact Public Works before placing it out.
Containers accepted for collection
- Plastic containers marked #1, #2 or #5
- Clear, brown or green glass containers
- Aluminum or tin food and beverage cans
- Rinse containers, leave labels on, and check whether the cap itself is recyclable
Paper and corrugated cardboard
- Newsprint, inserts, catalogs, phone books, books and other accepted paper
- Flatten paper and place it in an approved container
- Flatten and cross-tie corrugated cardboard in bundles no higher than one foot
- Keep waxed or chipboard boxes out of the corrugated stream
Use another disposal route
- Plastic bags, wraps or film
- Styrofoam, plastic cups or plates
- Mirrors, window glass, ceramics or light bulbs
- Paint or aerosol cans, scrap metal, electronics, batteries, appliances or tires
When an item is uncertain
A recycling symbol does not by itself confirm that an item belongs in Saddle River's regular collection program. Search the exact item in Recycle Coach. Plastic bags and film should use a participating retail drop-off when accepted.
Items that require another route
Special and regulated materials
The Borough does not operate a public recycling center. Use the verified County, State or private disposal option that applies to the material.
Use Bergen County household hazardous waste events
Liquid paint, varnish, solvents, pesticides, motor oil, cleaners and similar products do not belong in regular recycling collection, on the ground or in a drain. Follow BCUA's current event rules. Only completely dried or hardened paint cans may use an ordinary disposal route when the current instructions allow it.
BCUA household events are for eligible resident-generated household waste. Businesses, schools, institutions, public agencies, contractors and other non-household generators must use the authorized commercial route that applies to their waste.
Keep fire and electronic hazards out of collection
Covered electronics must be recycled and are not accepted as bulky items. Rechargeable, lithium and button-cell batteries require separate handling. Tape exposed battery terminals or follow the receiving program's transport instructions. Ordinary alkaline battery instructions differ, so identify the battery type first.
Compost, mulch or arrange lawful private recycling
Saddle River does not provide municipal collection of leaves, grass, brush or yard waste. Suitable leaves and grass may be composted or mulched on site where lawful and practicable. Otherwise, arrange lawful private recycling for the material. Do not place yard waste in the roadway, drainage system or public right-of-way.
Project debris has separate compliance duties
Small items listed in an annual bulky schedule do not replace project-level recycling requirements. Owners must recycle construction and demolition debris and provide the required weight slips or other written proof to the Construction Code Office before a permanent certificate of occupancy can be issued.
If a company is hired to transport project waste, verify that it is properly registered with NJDEP and that the material will go to an authorized recycling or disposal facility.
Use current BCUA regional events
BCUA schedules regional collection events for Bergen County residents. Proof of Bergen County residency is required, and business or commercial waste is not accepted. Quantity limits, prohibited materials and early closure rules vary by collection stream. Check the current event page before traveling.
Do not place medication or sharps in recycling
Use a verified medication collection location for unwanted household medicine. Needles, syringes, lancets and other sharps require their own safe disposal route and never belong in recycling.
Legal responsibilities
Separate, secure and dispose lawfully
These are the core resident-facing requirements. Enforcement and penalties are governed by the applicable ordinance and State law.
Saddle River Code and State mandate
Recycling is required
New Jersey law and Saddle River Code require designated recyclable materials to be separated from ordinary solid waste. Recyclables may not be disposed of as garbage. Prepare materials as directed and secure them so they are not blown or deposited on public or private property.
Dumping is prohibited. Waste, yard material and other pollutants must not be placed in streets, catch basins, curbs, gutters, ditches or storm drains where they may enter the municipal stormwater system.
Questions and service concerns
Contact Public Works
Department of Public Works
Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
For a missed collection, use the Recycle Coach reporting feature or call Public Works. For an item, route or unusual quantity that is not clearly addressed, contact DPW before setting it out.
Do not use email or an online report for an emergency. Call 911 for an immediate threat to life or property. For an urgent after-hours Public Works matter that is not a 911 emergency, call Saddle River Police at 201-327-5300.
Index
Garbage Pick Up Map and Schedule
Commingled Recyclables
- YES: Glass (clear, brown, green), cans (aluminum/tin), plastic containers (all containers with recycling symbol on the bottom)
- NO: Mirrors, light bulbs, ceramics, china, Corning Ware, drinking glasses, window glass, blue glass, crystal, clay flower pots. Oil cans, paint cans, aerosol cans or other non-food, non-beverage cans, aluminum pie plates, tins, foil pots, paints or any metal scraps. Styrofoam containers, plastic cups, plastic plates.
- HOW: Rinse, discard caps, leave on labels, put into commingled container.
Newspaper
- YES: Newsprint
- NO: Magazines, plastic bags, brown bags, junk mail, catalogs, cardboard, glossy inserts.
- HOW: Cross-tie in bundles no higher than 1 foot.
Junk Mail & Magazines
- YES: Glossy inserts, catalogs, phone books, newspaper inserts and all other paper.
- NO: Chipboard, books, paper or plastic bags, newspaper.
- HOW: Put in container or cross-tie in bundles no higher than 1 foot.
Corrugated Cardboard
- YES: Boxes, cartons, rigid packing material.
- NO: Chipboard, gift boxes, cereal boxes, food boxes, shoe boxes.
- HOW: Flatten and cross-tie in bundles no higher than 1 foot.