Herbarium of Trenton guides
- Folder
- Recycle & Dispose
- Sheet
- No. 01 of 12
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- 4 min
Collector’s notes
- Trenton is part of the Mercer County Improvement Authority’s curbside recycling program.
- Put recycling out by 7 a.m. on collection day and flatten cardboard.
- Pizza boxes, plastic bags, light bulbs and lithium-ion batteries do not go in the curbside bucket.
Recycling in Trenton runs on two schedules at once. The City’s Division of Solid Waste Management collects garbage and bulk items, while curbside recycling is handled by the Mercer County Improvement Authority, the MCIA, which runs one program for Trenton and ten other Mercer County towns. Knowing which agency does what saves a lot of phone calls.
Who picks up your recycling
The MCIA operates curbside recycling for residents and small businesses in Ewing, Hamilton, Hopewell Borough, Hopewell Township, Lawrence, Pennington, Princeton, Robbinsville, the City of Trenton, West Windsor and East Windsor, according to the authority’s recycling page. Residents of apartment complexes, condominiums and townhouses are told to ask their management office instead, because those buildings usually have their own arrangements.
The City’s solid waste page sends recycling questions straight to the MCIA at 609-278-8086. The same number handles general questions and missed collections on weekdays and after hours, and a missed pickup can also be reported online at mcianj.org/311.
The 2026 schedule
Trenton shares its recycling day with Robbinsville. On the 2026 Mercer County schedule both towns are collected every other Wednesday, starting January 14 and January 28 and running through December 30. Hamilton is split across Wednesday, Thursday and Friday routes, so if you live near the city line, check which list your street is on.
| Month | Trenton recycling days, 2026 |
|---|---|
| January | 14, 28 |
| February | 11, 25 |
| March | 11, 25 |
| April | 8, 22 |
| May | 6, 20 |
| June | 3, 17 |
| July | 1, 15, 29 |
| August | 12, 26 |
| September | 9, 23 |
| October | 7, 21 |
| November | 4, 18 |
| December | 2, 16, 30 |
If a collection day falls on Christmas, New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, Labor Day or Thanksgiving, the county schedule moves that pickup to the following Saturday.
What goes in the bucket
The county’s recycling sheet lists the accepted materials with pictures. In plain words, these go out together in the official recycling container:
- Newspaper and other paper
- Books, with hard covers removed
- Corrugated cardboard, flattened
- Plastic bottles and containers marked 1, 2 or 5, including milk jugs and detergent bottles
- Metal food and beverage cans
- Beverage cartons
- Glass bottles
The sheet also gives four set-out rules: put recycling at the curb by 7 a.m., flatten cardboard into manageable piles, use the official recycling container and check for contamination before you put it out.
What stays out
The same sheet is just as clear about what ruins a load. Contamination is not accepted in the curbside program, and the list of items that do not belong includes pizza boxes, motor oil, plastic bags, light bulbs, pottery, window glass, Styrofoam, dishes and baking pans. A greasy pizza box or a bag full of bottles can get a bucket left behind at the curb.
Tip: Lithium-ion batteries are the item to watch. The county warns they are a major fire hazard and should never be thrown in the trash or in curbside recycling. Keep dead phone, laptop and tool batteries in a box until you can take them to a collection event, covered in Household Hazardous Waste in Mercer County: 2026 Drop-Off Days and What They Take.
Getting a recycling bucket
Trenton residents can pick up recycling buckets at the City’s solid waste yard at 707 Calhoun Street with a valid New Jersey driver’s license or other proof of City residency, between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m., Monday through Saturday. The City notes that buckets are no longer handed out at the MCIA. Any Mercer County resident can also ask at Mercer County Connections on Route 33 in Hamilton; call 609-890-9800 to check availability.
Recycling and garbage are different days
Garbage is a City service. The Division of Solid Waste Management asks residents to set garbage out by 7 a.m. on collection day but no earlier than 10 p.m. the night before. There is no garbage, commercial cardboard or commercial glass collection on holidays, and items left at the curb on a holiday should be taken back in, because the City says fines are possible. The City publishes a separate trash collection flyer each year.
Large items such as furniture and household appliances go out only by appointment. Call the Division of Solid Waste Management at 609-989-3175, Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., to schedule a special bulk pickup. In the fall the division also runs bagged leaf collection.
Paper shredding days
Old bank statements and tax papers do not need to fill your recycling bucket. The 2026 county calendar lists free paper shredding events on April 11 and October 17, from 9 a.m. to noon, at 651 South Broad Street, Lot 4.
Questions people ask
Can I put recycling in a plastic bag?
No. Plastic bags are on the county’s not-accepted list. Put materials loose in the bucket, and reuse or return plastic bags elsewhere.
My recycling was skipped. What now?
Report it to the MCIA at mcianj.org/311 or 609-278-8086. Check first that nothing in the bucket is on the not-accepted list.
Electronics such as televisions and laptops are a separate story, because state law keeps them out of both the trash and the recycling bucket. See Electronics Recycling in New Jersey: Why TVs and Computers Can’t Go in the Trash for where they go.