How Do I Dispose of...

This webpage addresses the disposal of non-traditional items. For recycling information on traditional items like bottles & cans or newsprint & magazines, please click here.

ANTIFREEZE?
Save antifreeze in its original container (or in labeled gallon containers) for Bergen County's Household Hazardous Waste Days.

APPLIANCES?
Please remove refrigerator doors. Place metal appliances curbside on your Auto Batteries/Tires/Metals day, or take them to the Recycling Center.

ASPHALT?
There is NO curbside pickup or drop-off point for asphalt in the Village of Ridgewood. You may hire a private waste hauler or pay to deliver this material to a transfer station.  Three transfer stations that may accept your material for a fee include:
1) Waste Management, 61 Broad Avenue, Fairview, NJ 07022, 201-402-3050.  Call in advance for information on accepted materials, hours, charges, acceptable forms of payment, types of vehicles accepted, etc.
2) Skytop Recycling, 80 Airport Road, West Milford, NJ (973) 728-4444, (973) 728-0001, www.skytoprecycling.com.  Call in advance for questions regarding accepted items, pricing and to verify operating hours. 
3) Sterling Recycling, 99 Sterling Mine Road, Sloatsburg, NY, (800) 270-5522, www.sterlingrecycling.com.  Call in advance for questions regarding accepted items, pricing and to verify operating hours.
4) National Transfer Inc., 445 North Main Street, Lodi, NJ 07644 (973) 778-4764 https://www.pintoservice.com/national-transfer.  Call in advance for info regarding accepted items, offloading, pricing and to verify operating hours. 

BATTERIES - Lead Acid (Automobile)?
Place lead acid batteries curbside on your Auto Batteries/Tires/Metals day, or take them to the Recycling Center.

BATTERIES - Household?
Throw alkaline batteries away. Bring rechargeable batteries, button cell batteries, and lithium batteries to the Recycling Center. Place each battery into a separate baggie, or tape the terminal ends with non-conductive tape.  Another disposal option is to bring them to The Home Depot, 520 N State Rt 17, Paramus, NJ 07652. Please call the store first to confirm (201) 262-3344. For additional disposal information, please click here.

BOOKS - Hard Covered?
Ridgewood Recycling accepts books in good, readable condition that have an ISBN barcode label on the book cover in our book donation box at the recycling center. Hardcover, paperback and textbooks are all welcome!

For donation, we CANNOT accept books that do not have an ISBN barcode on the cover. We also CANNOT accept encyclopedias, magazines or water damaged books.

To recycle hard covered books that cannot be donated, please remove and discard the covers. Package the innards of the books with papers for recycling and place curbside on your recycling day, or take the innards to the Recycling Center and put them in the container marked "MAGAZINES".

BOOKS - Soft Covered?
Ridgewood Recycling accepts books in good, readable condition that have an ISBN barcode label on the book cover in our book donation box at the recycling center. Hardcover, paperback and textbooks are all welcome!

For donation, we CANNOT accept books that do not have an ISBN barcode on the cover. We also CANNOT accept encyclopedias, magazines or water damaged books.

To recycle soft covered books that cannot be donated, please package with papers for recycling and place curbside on your recycling day, or take them to the Recycling Center and put them in the container marked "MAGAZINES".

BOTTLE CAPS?
Plastic caps should not be placed into the recycling barrel.  Please dispose of them with your household trash.  Metal bottle caps that are 2 inches or larger in diameter may be placed loosely (remove from the bottle first) into the recycling barrel.  Please throw away metal caps that are less than 2 inches across.  Dairy tubs with their accompanying lids are accepted. Please click here to see our Facebook post about bottle caps.

BLUESTONE?
There is NO curbside pickup or drop-off point for bluestone in the Village of Ridgewood. You may hire a private waste hauler or pay to deliver this material to a transfer station.Three transfer stations that may accept your material for a fee include:
1) Waste Management, 61 Broad Avenue, Fairview, NJ 07022, 201-402-3050.  Call in advance for information on accepted materials, hours, charges, acceptable forms of payment, types of vehicles accepted, etc.
2) Skytop Recycling, 80 Airport Road, West Milford, NJ (973) 728-4444, (973) 728-0001, www.skytoprecycling.com.  Call in advance for questions regarding accepted items, pricing and to verify operating hours. 
3) Sterling Recycling, 99 Sterling Mine Road, Sloatsburg, NY, (800) 270-5522, www.sterlingrecycling.com.  Call in advance for questions regarding accepted items, pricing and to verify operating hours.
4) National Transfer Inc., 445 North Main Street, Lodi, NJ 07644 (973) 778-4764 https://www.pintoservice.com/national-transfer.  Call in advance for info regarding accepted items, offloading, pricing and to verify operating hours.

BRICKS?
There is NO curbside pickup or drop-off point for bricks in the Village of Ridgewood. You may hire a private waste hauler or pay to deliver this material to a transfer station. Three transfer stations that may accept your material for a fee include:
1) Waste Management, 61 Broad Avenue, Fairview, NJ 07022, 201-402-3050.  Call in advance for information on accepted materials, hours, charges, acceptable forms of payment, types of vehicles accepted, etc.
2) Skytop Recycling, 80 Airport Road, West Milford, NJ (973) 728-4444, (973) 728-0001, www.skytoprecycling.com.  Call in advance for questions regarding accepted items, pricing and to verify operating hours. 
3) Sterling Recycling, 99 Sterling Mine Road, Sloatsburg, NY, (800) 270-5522, www.sterlingrecycling.com.  Call in advance for questions regarding accepted items, pricing and to verify operating hours.
4) National Transfer Inc., 445 North Main Street, Lodi, NJ 07644 (973) 778-4764 https://www.pintoservice.com/national-transfer.  Call in advance for info regarding accepted items, offloading, pricing and to verify operating hours. 

BUTANE LIGHTERS, REFILLABLE, 10 3/4"?
Option 1: Save them for Bergen County's Household Hazardous Waste Days.
Option 2: Release all of the butane outdoors. To make this easier, you can tape the mechanism down if you wish. It takes only a few minutes. Once empty, dispose of the lighter in the regular trash.

CARTRIDGES - Inkjet & Laser Printer?
Take them to the Recycling Center.

CDs, DVDs, and VHS Tapes?
Option 1: Compact disks, digital versatile disks, plastic jewel cases, and video home system tapes may be bagged and placed curbside for pickup on your Curbside Bulk Refuse Collection day.
(Note: This is only for the disks & tapes. CD, DVD, or VHS players should be brought to the recycling center for disposal.)
Option 2: To recycle these tapes or disks, utilize an online recycling company such as www.greendisk.com.
(Note: There are fees involved for these online recycling services.)
Option 3: Click here to see if your items are accepted at your local Best Buy store.

CLOTHING & SHOES?
Many clothing items and household textiles can be reused. Bag manageable quantities and place the bags in bins at shopping centers or at the Recycling Center. At the Recycling Center we accept pants, dresses, hats, shirts, drapes, curtains, blankets, towels, sheets, handbags, belts, stuffed animals, and paired shoes. (Not Acceptable: No material that is wet or mildewed, No rags, No Fabric Scraps, No Pillows, No Toys, No Household Goods. These items are a hardship & expense to dispose of.) 
Are you interested in a fundraiser? You can earn money for gently used sneakers through companies such as Got Sneakers and their  mail-back program.

COFFEE PODS?
We do not accept any coffee pods for recycling in Ridgewood.  Residents who purchase Nespresso coffee pods may recycle them directly through Nespresso (never in the Ridgewood Recycling barrel).  Please click here to learn more.

CONCRETE?
When a Ridgewood resident has completed a small do-it-yourself (DIY) project and has a minute amount of concrete for disposal (one 32-gallon barrel worth or less), it may be brought to the Ridgewood Recycling Center, if it has not been color died. This is for residential DIY projects only.  Work performed by a contractor does not qualify.  Proof of residency is required. Contractors are not permitted to deliver concrete to the recycling center. The following items are prohibited:  No asphalt, no color died concrete, no red brick, no rocks, no slate, no bluestone.  For larger quantities, residents may hire a private waste hauler or pay to deliver this material to a transfer station.  Three transfer stations that may accept your material for a fee include:
1) Waste Management, 61 Broad Avenue, Fairview, NJ 07022, 201-402-3050.  Call in advance for information on accepted materials, hours, charges, acceptable forms of payment, types of vehicles accepted, etc.
2) Skytop Recycling, 80 Airport Road, West Milford, NJ (973) 728-4444, (973) 728-0001, www.skytoprecycling.com.  Call in advance for questions regarding accepted items, pricing and to verify operating hours. 
3) Sterling Recycling, 99 Sterling Mine Road, Sloatsburg, NY, (800) 270-5522, www.sterlingrecycling.com.  Call in advance for questions regarding accepted items, pricing and to verify operating hours.
4) National Transfer Inc., 445 North Main Street, Lodi, NJ 07644 (973) 778-4764 https://www.pintoservice.com/national-transfer.  Call in advance for info regarding accepted items, offloading, pricing and to verify operating hours. 

E-WASTE?
E-Waste is not collected at the curbside. Please take these items to the recycling center. (TVs, VCRs, DVD players, monitors, computers, printers, desktop copy machines, hard drives, video game consoles, radios, stereos, cellular phones, electronic tablets, e-book readers, etc.)

FIRE EXTINGUISHERS?
Fire extinguishers require the same disposal as other hazardous wastes and should be delivered to any one of Bergen County's Household Hazardous Waste Events.

FIREWOOD?
Firewood that exceeds 2 inches in diameter and/or 3 feet in length is not accepted as yard waste at the curbside or at the Ridgewood Recycling Center.  It must be disposed of privately at a commercial (not municipal) drop-off location.  Fees may apply.  Two examples include:  1) Skytop Recycling, 80 Airport Road, West Milford, NJ (973) 728-4444, (973) 728-0001, skytoprecycling.com 2) Sterling Recycling, 99 Sterling Mine Road, Sloatsburg, NY, (800) 270-5522.  Call in advance for questions regarding accepted items, pricing and to verify operating hours.  3) National Transfer Inc., 445 North Main Street, Lodi, NJ 07644 (973) 778-4764 https://www.pintoservice.com/national-transfer.  Call in advance for info regarding accepted items, offloading, pricing and to verify operating hours.  For additional suggestions, you may find it helpful to consult with a landscaper or tree removal company.  Since they likely encounter material of that description in their profession, they may be willing to accept your material for a fee, or provide another alternative.

FLUORESCENT BULBS?
Option 1: Take them to Bergen County's Household Hazardous Waste Days. (Certain fluorescent bulbs may be accepted at Ikea, Lowes Home Improvement, or The Home Depot, but always call the stores first to double-check and to find out any limitations on their program.
Option 2: Utilize an online recycling company such as Waste Management's www.wmlamptracker.com.
(Note: There are fees involved for these online recycling services.)

HAZARDOUS WASTE?
The Bergen County Utilities Authority sponsors several Household Hazardous Waste Collection Events each year. For hours, directions, and a list of other items that are accepted at these events, please click here or consult their website at www.bcua.org.
The Morris County Municipal Utilities Authority operates a permanent hazardous waste facility in Mt. Olive, NJ. For more information on their facility and applicable usage fees, please call 973-829-8006, send an email to info@MCMUA.com, or consult their website at www.mcmua.com/sw_hhw_pfac.asp (Mt. Olive Transfer Station, 168 Gold Mine Road, Flanders, NJ 07836).
As a courtesy, the Bergen County Utilities Authority maintains a list of private contractors who handle hazardous waste. Residents may wish to make private arrangements with one of the vendors on their list. To review their list, please click here.

HELIUM TANKS (NON-REFILLABLE)?
Follow steps 1 - 7 on the attached instruction sheet and then place them curbside for collection on automobile batteries, tires, metals pickup day, or take them to the recycling center. (click here)

LED LIGHT BULBS?
Take them to Bergen County's Household Hazardous Waste Days. (LED bulbs may be accepted at The Home Depot, but always call the store first to double-check and to find out any limitations on their program.)

MEDICATION?
Option 1: Bring prescription medication to a Project Medicine Drop Location.  Please visit the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs webpage for instructions and to find a drop box location near you.
Option 2:  CVS Pharmacy, located at 175 Rock Rd, Glen Rock, NJ 07452, is a Public Controlled Substance Disposal Location and will accept prescription medication during business hours. Call first for instructions. (NO SHARPS, NO VITAMINS, Black out the patient names please.)
Option 3:  Click here to view disposal instructions from the Food and Drug Administration and click here to view disposal instructions from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

MOTOR OIL?
Save motor oil in its original container (or in labeled containers) for Bergen County's Household Hazardous Waste Days.

PAINT?
Latex paint may be safely disposed of on bulk day when it has been dried out. Dry out latex paint by stirring absorbent material such as cat litter (or paint hardener, available for purchase on the internet and in some hardware stores) into the paint. Once dried, either leave the can completely open or leave the lid loosely resting on top and place the can at the curb for pickup on your Curbside Bulk Refuse Collection day. All oil based paint and latex paint that has not been solidified may be brought to one of Bergen County's Household Hazardous Waste Collection Days.

PLASTIC PRODUCE, DELI, & BAKERY CONTAINERS; CUPS, PLATES, UTENSILS OR PLASTIC FOOD TRAYS & FOOD SERVICE STYROFOAM?
We do not accept these items at this time.  Please help us to improve the quality of our recyclable material by keeping these items out of your recycling barrel and placing them into your household garbage can.  Additionally, some local store programs, such as The Gimme5 program at Whole Foods Market have made adjustments.  For current information on Gimme5 through Whole Foods, please click here.

PLASTIC BAGS?
Please bring clean plastic bags to Whole Foods Market on Godwin Avenue.

PROPANE TANKS?
Option 1: Take them to Bergen County's Household Hazardous Waste Days.
Option 2: Contact a private company such as Hoskins Propane, located at 523 Goffle Road, Ridgewood, NJ 07450. (Phone: 201.444.1950) Note:  There are fees involved.

ROCKS?
There is NO curbside pickup or drop-off point for rocks in the Village of Ridgewood. You may hire a private waste hauler or pay to deliver this material to a transfer station. Three transfer stations that may accept your material for a fee include:
1) Waste Management, 61 Broad Avenue, Fairview, NJ 07022, 201-402-3050.  Call in advance for information on accepted materials, hours, charges, acceptable forms of payment, types of vehicles accepted, etc.
2) Skytop Recycling, 80 Airport Road, West Milford, NJ (973) 728-4444, (973) 728-0001, www.skytoprecycling.com.  Call in advance for questions regarding accepted items, pricing and to verify operating hours. 
3) Sterling Recycling, 99 Sterling Mine Road, Sloatsburg, NY, (800) 270-5522, www.sterlingrecycling.com.  Call in advance for questions regarding accepted items, pricing and to verify operating hours.
4) National Transfer Inc., 445 North Main Street, Lodi, NJ 07644 (973) 778-4764 https://www.pintoservice.com/national-transfer.  Call in advance for info regarding accepted items, offloading, pricing and to verify operating hours.

SLATE?
There is NO curbside pickup or drop-off point for slate in the Village of Ridgewood. You may hire a private waste hauler or pay to deliver this material to a transfer station. Three transfer stations that may accept your material for a fee include:
1) Waste Management, 61 Broad Avenue, Fairview, NJ 07022, 201-402-3050.  Call in advance for information on accepted materials, hours, charges, acceptable forms of payment, types of vehicles accepted, etc.
2) Skytop Recycling, 80 Airport Road, West Milford, NJ (973) 728-4444, (973) 728-0001, www.skytoprecycling.com.  Call in advance for questions regarding accepted items, pricing and to verify operating hours. 
3) Sterling Recycling, 99 Sterling Mine Road, Sloatsburg, NY, (800) 270-5522, www.sterlingrecycling.com.  Call in advance for questions regarding accepted items, pricing and to verify operating hours.
4) National Transfer Inc., 445 North Main Street, Lodi, NJ 07644 (973) 778-4764 https://www.pintoservice.com/national-transfer.  Call in advance for info regarding accepted items, offloading, pricing and to verify operating hours.

SHREDDED PAPER?
There are two convenient options. Bring it to the recycling center or put the shredded paper into a cardboard box for pickup on your curbside recycling day. (Plastic bags of shredded paper are not accepted at the curbside on recycling day.)

SMOKE DETECTORS?
Smoke detectors are usually one of two types:  photoelectric or ionization.  Photoelectric smoke detectors do not contain radiation; however, ionization smoke detectors do contain a small amount of radioactive material.  The Bergen County Utilities Authority recommends making an effort to recycle ionization smoke detectors by mailing them back to the manufacturer after removing the battery.  Please click here for more information.  If this is not an option, New Jersey does not outlaw placing them into the garbage.

STUMPS & LOGS?
Firewood that exceeds 2 inches in diameter and/or 3 feet in length is not accepted as yard waste at the curbside or at the Ridgewood Recycling Center.  It must be disposed of privately at a commercial (not municipal) drop-off location.  Fees may apply.  Two examples include:  1) Skytop Recycling, 80 Airport Road, West Milford, NJ (973) 728-4444, (973) 728-0001, www.skytoprecycling.com 2) Sterling Recycling, 99 Sterling Mine Road, Sloatsburg, NY, (800) 270-5522, www.sterlingrecycling.com.  Call in advance for questions regarding accepted items, pricing and to verify operating hours.  3) National Transfer Inc., 445 North Main Street, Lodi, NJ 07644 (973) 778-4764 https://www.pintoservice.com/national-transfer.  Call in advance for info regarding accepted items, offloading, pricing and to verify operating hours.  For additional suggestions, you may find it helpful to consult with a landscaper or tree removal company.  Since they likely encounter material of that description in their profession, they may be willing to accept your material for a fee, or provide another alternative.

STYROFOAM - Large, Formed Pieces?
Styrofoam packaging inserts that are clean, dry, white, and rigid, can be recycled at Ridgewood's Recycling Center (no tape, no labels, no ink, no peanuts and no food service foam).

STYROFOAM PEANUTS?
Please bag styrofoam peanuts and bring them to the UPS Store, 50 E. Ridgewood Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ. A second option is to place them curbside for pickup on your Curbside Bulk Refuse Collection Day.

SYRINGES, NEEDLES, AND/OR LANCETS?
1) Holy Name Hospital Medical Center Environmental Department accepts sharps that have been securely collected in a rigid plastic container (such as a detergent bottle).  Call 201-833-3176 before your visit for hours and instructions.
2) To dispose of sharps safely at home, please click here for a brochure from the NJ Department of Health and click here for disposal instructions from the NJ Department of Health & Senior Services.
3) Utilize an online mailback service for medical sharps such as Waste Management's www.wmlamptracker.com. (Note: There are fees involved for these online recycling services.)

TIRES?
Place automobile or standard pickup truck tires curbside on your Auto Batteries/Tires/Metals day, or take them to the Recycling Center. Rims are acceptable.

VEGETABLE COOKING OIL?
Bring used or expired vegetable cooking oil to the Recycling Center and hand it to our attendant on duty. (Only Canola, Corn, Cottonseed, Grapeseed, Olive, Palm, Peanut, Safflower, Sesame, Soybean, Sunflower, & Vegetable Oil. Must be cooled and in a capped, disposable, leak-proof, plastic container no larger than 5-gallons in size. Do not mix the used cooking oil with any other liquids or products. No shortening, No lard, No Avocado, No coconut, No motor oil.)