Ridgewood Recycling Drop-Off: Hours, Map & Accepted Items

Ridgewood Recycling Center Overview

The Ridgewood Recycling Center is a Village drop-off point for sorted recyclables and special recycling streams. It is useful for residents who need to bring items such as containers, paper, cardboard, textiles, e-waste, foam packaging, vegetable cooking oil, select batteries, metals, tires or yard waste. It is not a general garbage dump.

The Village tells users to have materials properly separated, placed in the trunk of the vehicle, and to follow the attendant’s instructions. That instruction matters because the center accepts many different material streams, but they do not all go in one container.

If your question is about your curbside pickup day instead of drop-off, use the Village schedule search or Recycle Coach. Ridgewood’s schedule page says residents can use Recycle Coach to view collection schedules, search recyclable materials and sign up for alerts.

Ridgewood Recycling Center Today’s Hours

The Ridgewood Recycling Center has a simple weekly pattern, but the closed days are easy to miss. The posted schedule is Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM. It is closed Wednesday and Sunday.

Recycle Coach and Ridgewood Curbside Schedule Help

Use the Recycling Center when you need drop-off. Use Recycle Coach when you need your curbside collection schedule, service alerts, area-specific Green Guide details or a searchable recycling answer by material.

Accepted Items at Ridgewood Recycling Center

The official Recycling Center page lists a broad set of accepted materials. The most important rule is separation. Do not mix paper, containers, e-waste, batteries, foam, cooking oil, textiles and metals together in one bag or box.

Paper, Cardboard, Bottles, Jars, Cans and Cartons

For ordinary recycling, Ridgewood accepts glass bottles and jars, plastic bottles, jars, jugs and dairy tubs, aluminum and steel cans, food and beverage cartons, newsprint, magazines, catalogs, office paper, direct mail, corrugated cardboard and paper bags. Keep materials clean, dry and properly sorted.

The plastic rule is stricter than many residents expect. Plastic fruit, vegetable, bakery and deli containers, food trays, cups and utensils are not accepted in Ridgewood’s listed recycling stream. Plastic bottle caps should not be placed in the recycling barrel unless a specific rule applies; metal caps must be large enough and placed correctly.

E-Waste and Electronics Recycling in Ridgewood

E-waste is not collected at the curb in Ridgewood. The Village directs residents to take e-waste to the Recycling Center. Examples include TVs, VCRs, DVD players, monitors, computers, printers, desktop copy machines, hard drives, video game consoles, radios, stereos, cellular phones, tablets and e-book readers.

Before recycling a laptop, desktop, tablet, phone or hard drive, protect your personal information. Back up important files, remove memory cards, sign out of accounts, erase data and factory-reset devices when possible. Recycling the device is not the same as protecting your data.

Batteries, Printer Cartridges and Small Drop-Off Items

The Recycling Center accepts inkjet and laser printer cartridges. It also accepts rechargeable and button-cell batteries. Ridgewood’s item-by-item disposal page adds that alkaline batteries go in the trash, while button cell, single-use lithium and dry-cell rechargeable batteries should be handed to the Recycling Center attendant or taken to a Bergen County household hazardous waste event.

Foam Packaging, Textiles, Books and Cooking Oil

Ridgewood accepts only white, clean, block-type foam packaging that is free of tape, ink and labels. Packing peanuts, egg cartons, cups, food containers, colored foam, wet foam and dirty foam are not accepted in the foam packaging stream.

Textiles accepted at the Recycling Center include clothing and textiles such as shoes, sneakers, belts, purses, blankets, sheets, drapes, pillowcases and stuffed animals. Wet or mildewed material, rags, fabric scraps, pillows, toys and household goods are not accepted in that stream.

Vegetable cooking oil is accepted only in specific forms such as canola, corn, cottonseed, grapeseed, olive, palm, peanut, safflower, sesame, soybean, sunflower and vegetable oil. It must be cooled and placed in a capped, disposable, leak-proof plastic container no larger than 5 gallons. Do not mix it with other liquids or products.

Yard Waste and Leaf Drop-Off at Ridgewood Recycling Center

Yard waste and leaves are accepted for drop-off at the Recycling Center at 203 E. Glen Avenue during normal Recycling Center hours. Ridgewood says residents must have proof of residency for yard waste disposal. Plastic bags of vegetative waste may be brought to the center, but residents must slit the bags open and empty the contents into the truck.

For curbside yard waste, Ridgewood’s 2026 page says the yard waste collection program runs from April 6 through October 9, 2026. Grass clippings and brush should be in a barrel no larger than 32 gallons and no heavier than 80 pounds, or in biodegradable paper lawn/leaf bags. Branches up to 3 feet long and 2 inches in diameter must be bundled and tied.

Metals, Appliances, Tires and Automobile Batteries

Ridgewood’s Recycling Center and curbside recycling guidance include appliances, metals, tires and automobile batteries. Appliances should have refrigerator doors removed when applicable, gas-powered lawn equipment should be drained of oil and fluids before delivery, metal poles and pipes must be less than 4 feet, and large truck or heavy machinery tires are not accepted.

Mattresses and box springs may also be delivered to Ridgewood’s Recycling Center when properly prepared. The Village’s disposal guidance says residents should be prepared to show ID, bag each mattress or box spring, deliver it to the center and follow the attendant’s instructions.

Items Not Accepted or Needing Another Route

Household and bulky trash are not accepted at the Ridgewood Recycling Center. Do not bring ordinary trash loads, contractor debris, landscaper loads, or mixed materials expecting the attendant to sort them. The center is for separated recycling and accepted special items.

How to Prepare Before Visiting Ridgewood Recycling Center

1. Check the day first. The center is listed open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 8 AM to 3 PM, closed Wednesday and Sunday.
2. Sort materials at home. Keep bottles, cans, paper, cardboard, e-waste, batteries, textiles, foam and cooking oil separated.
3. Use your trunk. The Village asks visitors to have materials properly separated in the trunk and follow the attendant’s instructions.
4. Bring proof of residency when needed. Yard waste and certain special items may require proof of Ridgewood residency or ID.
5. Protect batteries and electronics. Tape battery terminals when directed and erase personal data from electronics before drop-off.
6. Prepare yard waste correctly. Plastic bags of vegetative waste must be slit open and emptied by residents at the center.
7. Do not bring mixed trash. Household trash, bulky trash and contractor-style disposal loads do not belong at the Recycling Center.

Official Ridgewood Recycling Links

Ridgewood Recycling Center Map and Directions

The map below points to the Ridgewood Recycling Center at 203 E. Glen Avenue, behind Fire Headquarters. Use the map for directions, but use the official Village page for final hours, holiday updates, material rules and center restrictions.

Frequently Asked Questions About Ridgewood Recycling Center