• Hudson County (HCIA)

• State of New Jersey (NJDEP)

• Federal Government (EPA)

• Recycling contamination occurs when the wrong items (such as styrofoam), or the right items prepared in the wrong way (such as in a plastic bag), are incorrectly placed in curbside recycling bins.
• Contamination is harmful because it can damage sorting machinery, lower the resale value of materials, and even cause recyclables to go to the landfill. So, contamination is costly not only to our town, but also our environment.

• No! Unfortunately, just hoping or wishing that something can be recycled doesn’t make it so. Wish-cycling is one of the biggest problems facing our municipal recycling program. Putting unacceptable items in your recycling bin creates more waste, higher costs, and can even be dangerous for workers.
• When in doubt, only recycle items that are on the acceptable items list. Otherwise, search for the item with Recycle Coach or call the Environmental Department at 201-86-GREEN (47336). Many things can still be recycled or donated, just NOT through regular curbside collection.

Town of Secaucus website in 3 locations:

1. Main page
2. Public Works
3. This webpage

• Town Calendar - mailed yearly
• Recycling flyer - mailed yearly with the calendar, & available for download on the town website
• A free service called Recycle Coach
• Secaucus Public Library’s Recycling Do's and Don'ts video series
• Secaucus Recycling Ordinance (Municipal Code Chapter 91)

• Recycle Coach is a free service for residents that can be accessed on a desktop computer or mobile device through a free app. 

• With Recycle Coach, residents can:  
• Utilize the "What Goes Where?" search tool to learn about how you can donate, recycle, or safely discard hundreds of different common & uncommon items 
• Stay organized with a custom curbside collection calendar
• Learn useful recycling tips and tricks

• Dual-stream recycling is a common practice where commingled recycling is separated from cardboard & mixed paper recycling for the purpose of curbside collection. In Secaucus, separate DPW trucks come around for each type of recycling.
• By source-separating these materials, it ensures higher quality materials and less contamination at the Materials Recovery Facilities (MRFs) where we bring recyclables. At these MRFs, materials are quickly sorted by people and machinery, and then bailed to sell back to manufacturers to become new products. 

• TIME: residents must put recycling out by 6:00AM on their designated recycling day, but no earlier than 6:00PM the night before
• COMMINGLED: must be placed loose, never bagged, in a town-supplied recycling bin or in your own reusable bin that is clearly marked for recycling
• MIXED PAPER: must be secured in a paper bag or town- supplied recycling bin, or tied together into a bundle with rope or cord
• CARDBOARD: must be broken down & have any styrofoam or plastic removed

• Plastic grocery bags are not compatible with the machines that sort recyclables at the processing facility. They cause machinery to jam up and even break. 
• Click here to find grocery & retail locations near you that will accept plastic bags.

• Containers should be rinsed and empty to be free of any food & liquids. They do not need to be thoroughly washed. For messy containers that require more than a simple rinse (such as peanut butter jars), let them soak or use a spatula to remove food waste from containers. 
• If the container is impossible to rinse and empty, it should be thrown out.

• The numbers found on the bottom of plastic products are resin identification codes that were established by the plastics industry to help consumers identify the plastic type of various containers and products. It was hoped that this code would make it easier for consumers to identify whether and how to recycle various plastic products and packaging. 
• Currently, Secaucus residents can only recycle plastics coded with #1, #2, and #5 on the bottom. Numbers 3, 4, 6, & 7 cannot be accepted by our Materials Recovery Facility.
• The resin identification codes are as follows:
• 01 PET - Polyethylene terephthalate (examples: soda & water bottles) ✅
• 02 HDPE - High-density polyethylene (examples: milk jugs & detergent bottles) ✅
• 03 PVC - Polyvinyl chloride (examples: juice bottles, cling films, & piping)
• 04 LDPE - Low-density polyethylene (examples: squeezable bottles & frozen food bags)
• 05 PP – Polypropylene (examples: yogurt/sour cream containers, margarine tubs) ✅
• 06 PS – Polystyrene (examples: foam egg cartons, packing peanuts, & Styrofoam)
• 07 O (Other) – Often Polycarbonate or Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) (everything else, like nylon, acrylic, or fiberglass).

1: Cardboard and Mixed Paper Recycling includes the following clean & dry materials (no food or liquids):

• Corrugated cardboard
• Newspapers
• Magazines
• Gray paperboard (such as cereal boxes)
• “Junk Mail”
• Paperback books
• Brown paper bags
• Office / copy paper
• Gift wrap & wrapping paper made of 100% paper

2: Commingled Recycling includes the following clean & dry materials (no food or liquids):

• Metal cans & aluminum
• Glass bottles & jars
• Beverage, soup, & sauce cartons
• Plastic containers numbered “1,” “2,” & “5”

• Plastic bags
  • Trex brochure

• Styrofoam
• Food waste/liquids
• Syringes & sharps
  • Click HERE for safe disposal guidance

• Medicine
  • Dispose of your unused, unwanted and expired medicines at the Secaucus Rx medicine drop box, located in the Secaucus Police Station lobby. 1203 Paterson Plank Rd. Visit DrugFreeSecaucus.org to learn more. 

• Dishware, glassware, ceramics, & mirrors
• Plastic caps, lids, spray nozzles/pumps, etc.
• Frozen food containers
• Paper towels, napkins, cups, or plates 
• Straws or very small plastics
• Pots & pans
• Hoses/cords 
• Toys
• Hangers
• Light bulbs
  • Compact fluorescent bulbs & tubes are recyclable and need to be disposed of properly. Home Depot has an Orange Recycling Container for recycling light bulbs. Or, bring to a HCIA collection day.

• Batteries
  • Household batteries: Deposit in one of our “Big Green Boxes” located at: Secaucus Library, Recreation Center, Town Hall Lobby & DPW
  • Rechargeable batteries: Home Depot has an Orange Recycling Container for rechargeable batteries, or, visit Call2Recycle.org for additional drop-off locations.
  • Car batteries: Bring to a HCIA collection day
• Electronics
  • For large electronic waste (TVs, computers, printers, etc.) call the DPW to schedule a pick-up.
  • For small electronic items (cell phones, chargers, batteries, etc.) deposit in a “Big Green Box”  located at: Secaucus Library, Recreation Center, Town Hall Lobby & DPW
• Clothing
  • Support the Secaucus Emergency Fund & donate in one of the clothing bins located around town.
• Shredded Paper
  • Shredded paper cannot be sorted by MRFs, so it cannot be included in regular mixed paper curbside collection.
  • Confidential papers can be brought to any of Hudson County’s Mobile Paper Shredding events to be shredded & recycled.
• Household Hazardous Waste

• HHW are items found in our home, garages & sheds that are dangerous to our environment and cannot be disposed of with regular trash or recycling collections. 
• HHW items that can be brought to an HCIA HHW collection day:
  • Thermostats
  • Tires 
  • Cleaners & corrosives
  • Pool & photographic chemicals
  • Oil based paints & varnishes*
  • Rechargeable & car batteries
  • Propane tanks (from BBQ grills only)*
  • Solvents & thinners
  • Pesticides & herbicides
  • Formaldehyde
  • Compact fluorescent bulbs
  • Used motor oil*
  • Old gasoline
  • Fire extinguishers
  • Antifreeze*
  • Smoke detectors 

• Latex paint no longer contains dangerous chemicals, so it can be dried out with absorbent material and discarded with regular trash. 
• Oil-based paint is categorized as hazardous and cannot be thrown out in regular trash.