The City Of Hackensack

Public Works, Sanitation & Recycling

Yard waste collection will begin April 1, 2024

Recycling Change Effective May 1st

Please be advised that an occupant has an affirmative duty under Chapter 93 of the City Code to promptly report to the Department of Public Works when any garbage, rubbish, garden refuse, recyclable materials or heavy trash has been placed outside of the occupant’s property for collection without the occupant’s authorization.  You may make this report in person, via telephone at (201) 646-3951 or via e-mail at dpw@hackensack.org.

Effective April 2024, a new community-wide ordinance regulates most tree removals within the City of Hackensack.   If you are considering removing any trees from your property, please review the ordinance at the link below to determine whether you are covered by the Ordinance.  If so, prior to removing your trees you are required to complete and submit the form also linked below so that the City can determine what obligations you have, which may include either replacing the trees on your property or paying the applicable fee into the City’s tree planting and maintenance fund.  If you have any questions, please contact the Department of Public Works. 

Tree Removal Notification Form

ORDINANCE NO. 17-2024

The City of Hackensack is committed to always improving our recycling program.

The City of Hackensack has decided to collect commingled goods one week and then paper/cardboard the alternate week.

This current transition will allow the city to be more efficient in our daily collection of recyclables. It will allow our Sanitation Department to transport clean loads of commingled and paper products to the transfer facility. In turn, it will help to keep disposal costs down.

We are asking residents to be patient during this transition.

Your recycling day will not change.

Please remember that we have a recycling facility located at the Department of Public works to drop off any extra recyclables that you might have.

If you have any issues, please feel free to contact the Department of Public Works at (201) 646-3950.

We would like to thank the residents, in advance, for your assistance with this transition and the continued dedication to recycling.

Garbage Hang Tag

The City of Hackensack Department of Public Works is comprised of fifty men. The office staff consists of three clerical employees and one Superintendent. It is located at 120 East Broadway, Hackensack in a building constructed in 1994.The Public Works is comprised of the following departments:

  • Parks
  • Trees
  • Auto Fleet Maintenance 
  • Body Shop
  • Building Maintenance
  • Streets
  • Sewers

The services performed by the Public Works Department are as follows:

  • The trimming and removal of trees in the public right-of-way
  • Emergency sewer call out
  • Repair to all City vehicles Maintenance of all public buildings
  • Landscaping of all parks and city owned public green spaces
  • Snow removal and salting of City street and roadways
  • Maintain all storm and sanitary pump stations in the City
  • Grinding roots for sidewalk repairs
  • Cleaning of catch basins
  • Repair and patching of City streets
  • Planting and growing of all flowers for City flower beds
  • Planting trees on public right of way

We work hand in hand with both the Fire and Police Departments in assisting in many emergency situations that arise in the City.

The Department, through its program of equipment upgrading and training for its employees, constantly maintains its commitment to the quality of services to the City of Hackensack.

Yard Waste

Yard waste removal goes out on the same day as a resident’s garbage and recycling pickup. All yard waste must be in brown leaf bags or an open container.

Sanitation Department

The Sanitation Department is currently comprised of 30 employees, two of which handle the Street Sweeping Program. The other 28 employees are responsible for the collection of garbage, rubbish, recycling, litter cans, cleaning of bus shelters, office personnel and miscellaneous operations. The Sanitation and Recycling Office is located at 120 East Broadway, Hackensack, NJ on the 2nd floor. For questions or information regarding any of these services, please call 201-646-3955 or the Recycling Hot Line at 201-646-8049. Don’t forget to visit our FAQ section below.

Recycling Information

Recycling 1 aluminum can saves enough energy to run a 100 watt bulb for 20 hours, a computer for 3 hours, or a television for 2 hours. Aluminum uses 95 percent less energy to recycle than it does to create it from raw materials. It is 100 percent recyclable and can be used over and over again with a short turn-around time. Aluminum cans can be recycled into soda cans, pie plates, license plates, thumbtacks, aluminum foil and many other items. A used aluminum can is recycled and back on the grocery shelf as a new can, in as little as 60 days. Recycling aluminum cans saves 2 billion pounds in landfills each year.

 

SanitationFAQs

Rubbish

Q. What day is Rubbish Collection?
A.
 Rubbish will be collected every other Wednesday. Routes 1-5 will be collected one week and Routes 6-10 will be collected the following Wednesday. Please refer to your most recent Recycling Calendar for the collection date that corresponds with your Route.

Q. How do I find out what recycling route I’m on?
A. Check the latest recycling calendar. Find your address and the corresponding Route Number.

Q. When should I place rubbish at the curb for collection?
A.
 Anything put at the curb for collection should be done after 6:00 P.M. the night before the scheduled collection day.

Q. Is there a limit to what can be put out for rubbish collection?
A.
 By Ordinance, you are limited to two (2) furniture items or two (2) bags of debris.

Q. Can metal items be placed at the curb for rubbish collection; i.e metal desk, metal filing cabinet.
A.
 All metal items are considered white goods and are collected for a fee of $10.00 and by appointment. See white goods under this section.

Garbage

Q. What day is my regular household garbage collected?
A
. Recycling Routes 1 & 2 are collected every Monday, Routes 3 & 4 are Collected every Tuesday, Routes 5 & 6 are collected every Wednesday, 7 & 8 are collected every Thursday, and Routes 9 & 10 are collected every Friday. If your collection day is a holiday, your garbage will be collected on the following day.

Q. How do I find out what recycling route I’m on?
A. 
Check the Recycling Calendar online; find your address and the corresponding Route Number.

Q. I have excess garbage that won’t fit into the blue cart. What can I do?
A. 
First make sure you are recycling properly. The 90 gallon cart is adequate for 1 family providing they recycle. If you are recycling and still require another cart, one can be purchased. Contact the Sanitation Office for details.

Q. Where do I place the Blue Cart for collection?
A.
 Place the cart by the curb, NOT in the street, as it would interfere with the street sweeping program.

Q. When should I place garbage at the curb for collection?
A.
 Anything put at the curb for collection should be done after 6:00 P.M. the night before the scheduled collection day.

Q. Is there a limit to what can be put out for garbage collection?
A.
 By Ordinance, you are limited to the amount that will fit into your garbage cart(s). Any garbage placed outside the cart will not be collected.

White Goods

Q. What is considered to be white goods?
A. Any metal item or appliance is considered to be a White Good. For example: stove, refrigerator, washer, dryer, hot water heater, air conditioner, humidifier, metal desk, metal file cabinet, metal shed, metal piping, swing set, etc.

Q. How do I dispose of a white good?
A. You can come to the Sanitation Office at 120 East Broadway and purchase a sticker for $10.00 (Check or Money Order Only) per item at which time you will receive an appointment for collection or you can send a check or money order to the Sanitation Dept., 65 Central Avenue, Hackensack, NJ 07601 along with a note stating your address and the item(s) to be collected. Upon receipt of your request the Sanitation Dept. will issue a sticker which will be sent to you.

 

Recycling FAQs

Q. What does the City require you to recycle?
A.
 By Ordinance the City requires that anyone who receives garbage collection service by the City to recycle commingled (Glass, Tin, Aluminum, and Plastic), corrugated cardboard, newspaper, and junk mail.

Q. When is my recycling collection day?
A. Check the recycling calendar to find your recycling days by your route number. The calendar is usually available on the homepage. The route numbers are listed in the calendar by street.

Q. How do I prepare my commingled for collection?
A. Commingled glass, tin, aluminum, and plastic can be placed in any open container for collection. Preferably, a 35 gallon plastic garbage can with a lid. Commingled is placed in the container without any plastic or paper bags.

Q. How do I prepare my cardboard for collection?
A. Corrugated cardboard must be crushed and tied up for collection.

Q. How do I prepare my newspapers for collection?
A. Newspaper must be tied into bundles no larger than 12 inches in height.

Q. How do I prepare my junk mail for collection?
A. Junk mail can be tied into a bundle or placed in an open container. No paper or plastic bags.

Q. What is considered junk mail?
A. Junk mail is the mail you receive which you would normally just throw in the garbage. It includes office paper, envelopes, magazines, soft cover books, hard cover books with the covers removed, cereal boxes, etc. Excluded would be pizza boxes, used paper plates, used napkins and tissues, etc.