In accordance with New Jersey law, several materials are not allowed to be disposed of as garbage. Please see the following link for information about what Residents, Businesses and Institutions must recycle.

Produced by ECUA and authorized for distribution by Essex County, this guide is an up-to-date and concise listing of the recycling responsibilities for all county residents. This file is available for reproduction and circulation by all municipalities within Essex County to their residents.

When smoke alarms/detectors cease to function, they should be returned to their respective manufacturer for proper disposal.   Please consult the reference manual or the case of your unit for manufacturer contact information.   Should you not be able to determine the manufacturer, FIREX will accept and properly dispose of all manufacturers’ smoke alarms/detectors at no charge.

Kidde/FIREX Safety Division
1016 Corporate Park Drive
Mebane, NC 27302
Attn.: Alarm Disposal

The RBRC is a free rechargeable battery and cell phone collection program established to divert these materials from the solid waste stream. There are various collection points around Essex County where residents can place these materials in RBRC-approved collection boxes for recycling.

Recycle your refrigerator through New Jersey’s Clean Energy Program. Call 877-270-3520 to arrange for a FREE pickup and they will pay you $50 for your old refrigerator. For more information go to njcleanenergy.com

In addition to mandatory materials collected through your Municipal Recycling Program, a wide range of additional materials can be reused or recycled. Anything that can be pulled out of the solid waste stream and put back into use benefits the environment, and your bottom dollar as a taxpayer. The environment actually wins twice – the material doesn’t take up landfill space, and another product doesn’t need to be manufactured to replace it!

When used motor oil is discharged into soils or waterways it has a long-lasting and devastating affect on the soils, water quality, vegetation and wildlife. If used motor is discarded down the storm drain, it will eventually reach a nearby waterway and cause expensive problems for the municipally, County or Authority that owns the underground pipes. If you change your own oil or have oil that you no longer need, it is prohibited for you to discharge it to the environment. It may not be thrown into the garbage either.

Please find a Used Oil Collection Center near you and dispose of your oil properly. Almost all service stations and inspection stations have facilities to accept your used oil and many will not charge you. Just make sure that your used oil is not mixed with water, antifreeze, absorbent material, rags, or anything else. If your oil is contaminated, you may bring it to an ECUA Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day and dispose of it for free.

- Used Oil Collection Points by Name
- Used Oil Collection Points by Town