How to Recycle in NYC: Rules, Composting, and Fines

To recycle in NYC, you separate your discards into two curbside streams: paper and cardboard in one, and metal, glass, plastic, and cartons in the other. As of April 2025, you also have to separate food scraps and yard waste for composting. Electronics, rechargeable batteries, and household hazardous waste have their own rules and cannot go in the trash. Getting the sorting wrong can trigger fines starting at $25.

The Two Curbside Recycling Streams

Mixed paper and cardboard go together. That covers newspapers, magazines, catalogs, phone books, junk mail, paper bags, and paperboard packaging like cereal boxes. Flatten corrugated cardboard. Everything in this stream must be clean and dry, because wet or greasy paper cannot be processed. Envelopes with plastic windows are fine; glossy foil-lined envelopes are trash.

Metal, glass, plastic, and cartons make up the second stream. NYC accepts all rigid plastics regardless of the resin number on the bottom, which is simpler than in many other cities. Bottles, cups, jars, jugs, yogurt tubs, deli containers, clamshell takeout containers, and rigid plastic housewares like flower pots and mixing bowls all qualify.¹ Metal items include aluminum foil, trays, cans, and empty aerosol cans. Glass bottles and jars are accepted. Beverage and liquid food cartons (milk, juice, soup) belong in this stream, not with paper.² Empty and rinse containers before you toss them.

One rule people often miss: rigid plastic caps and lids are recyclable in this stream. You no longer need to pull them off and trash them separately.¹

What to Keep Out of Recycling

The most common mistake is tossing items that feel recyclable but are not accepted curbside. A well-meaning wrong guess can contaminate a whole truckload. When in doubt, the trash is the safer choice.

These items do not go in either stream:

Plastic bags and film, including grocery bags, bubble wrap, cellophane, and plastic wrap. Many grocery stores collect plastic bags separately.
Styrofoam cups, takeout containers, and packing peanuts.
Drinking glasses, mirrors, and light bulbs. They are a different type of glass and contaminate the stream.
Ceramics, including coffee mugs, plates, and pottery.
Cables, hoses, and string lights, which tangle in sorting equipment.
Electronics of any kind.
Disposable gloves and face masks.

How and When to Set It Out

For paper and cardboard, you have three options: tie items into bundles no taller than 18 inches with twine, use clear plastic bags between 13 and 55 gallons, or use a clearly labeled bin of 55 gallons or less with a tight-fitting lid. Flatten cardboard boxes and either tie them or break them down to fit.¹

For metal, glass, plastic, and cartons, use clear plastic bags (13 to 55 gallons) or a blue-labeled recycling bin of 55 gallons or less with a tight-fitting lid.¹

Set-out times depend on your container. A labeled bin with a secure lid can go out after 6:00 PM the evening before collection. Loose bags have to wait until 8:00 PM. Everything must be at the curb by midnight, and nothing should block sidewalks or driveways.³ Collection days vary by neighborhood; look yours up on the DSNY website or the NYC 311 app.

Note that buildings with one to nine residential units are now required to use containers rather than loose bags for their trash, part of a citywide push that started in November 2024.⁴

Composting Is Now Mandatory

As of April 1, 2025, every NYC resident has to separate compost from regular trash. The grace period ended in March 2025, and DSNY is now issuing fines for noncompliance.⁵

What counts as compost: all food scraps (including meat, bones, dairy, and prepared foods), food-soiled paper like greasy pizza boxes and uncoated paper plates, and yard waste like leaves and branches. Place food waste in any labeled bin of 55 gallons or less with a secure lid, or in your DSNY brown bin. You can line the bin with a clear plastic, paper, or compostable bag. Black plastic bags are not allowed. Yard waste can go in paper lawn bags or clear plastic bags. Bundle twigs and branches with twine and place them next to the bin.⁵

Compost is collected weekly on your recycling day, with the same set-out times: 6:00 PM for lidded bins, 8:00 PM for bags, midnight cutoff.⁵ If curbside pickup does not fit your schedule, you can drop food scraps at community sites or at the city’s Smart Composting Bins, which are open around the clock across the five boroughs. Download the free NYC Compost app to find and unlock nearby bins.⁶

Electronics, Batteries, and Hazardous Waste

New York State law bans residents from throwing electronic waste in the trash.⁷ Covered items include computers, laptops, monitors, printers, TVs, DVD players, cable boxes, cell phones, tablets, e-readers, and video game consoles. Your options are manufacturer take-back programs, periodic DSNY SAFE Disposal Events, permanent Special Waste Drop-Off sites, and, for apartment buildings with 10 or more units, the free in-building ecycleNYC program.⁸

Batteries split by type. Standard alkaline AA, AAA, and D-cell batteries can go in regular trash. Rechargeable batteries, including the lithium-ion batteries in phones, laptops, and power tools, are illegal to throw away under New York State law.⁹ Bring rechargeables to hardware stores, electronics retailers, or office supply stores that sell them. Automotive batteries go back to service stations or auto parts stores.

Lithium-ion batteries need extra care because even partially drained ones can start fires. Bag each battery separately and cover the terminals with non-conductive tape like electrical tape before dropping them off.¹⁰ Never toss loose lithium-ion batteries in with other trash or recycling.

Household hazardous waste, including paint, pesticides, motor oil, antifreeze, cleaning chemicals, fluorescent bulbs, and vape pens, goes to a DSNY SAFE Disposal Event or a Special Waste Drop-Off site. SAFE events are free and open only to NYC residents; commercial waste is not accepted. Seal containers, label them clearly, and never mix products.¹¹

Clothing and Textiles

Clothing, towels, sheets, and curtains should not go in the trash. DSNY partners with Helpsy to place stationary collection bins at apartment buildings, schools, and nonprofit institutions. Buildings with 10 or more units can request a bin.¹² The re-fashioNYC program offers similar service for apartment, office, and commercial buildings through an inquiry form at nyc.gov/refashion.¹³ Anything in good condition can also go to a donation center.

Fines for Recycling and Composting Violations

NYC enforces the rules with escalating fines that go to the property owner, not individual tenants. For buildings with one to eight units, the penalties are $25 for a first offense, $50 for a second, and $100 for each additional offense. Buildings with nine or more units face $100 for a first offense, $200 for a second, and $300 after that.⁵ The same schedule covers both recycling and composting violations, and multiple issues flagged on the same day can add up fast.

If You Own or Manage a Building

Buildings with four or more residential units have specific legal obligations. You must designate at least one recycling storage area that is reasonably accessible to residents, provide enough bins to keep materials separated and prevent overflow, post signage explaining the requirements, and clearly label the bins.³ Fines increase with repeated offenses. Because composting is now mandatory, make sure the setup covers paper recycling, commingled recycling, composting, and trash as four separate collections.

1
NYC 311. Recycling Rules
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New York City Department of Sanitation. Metal, Glass, Plastic, and Cartons
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New York City Department of Sanitation. Recycling for Residents
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NYC.gov. Return of the Trash Revolution
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NYC 311. Curbside Composting
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New York City Department of Sanitation. Food Scrap Drop-off
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New York State Senate. New York Environmental Conservation Law 27-2611 – Disposal Ban
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New York City Department of Sanitation. Electronics and E-Waste
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NYSDEC. Rechargeable Battery Recycling
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US EPA. Used Lithium-Ion Batteries
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New York City Department of Sanitation. SAFE Disposal Events
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New York City Department of Sanitation. Textile Recycling Collection
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NYC Department of Sanitation. Re-fashioNYC Brochure