Union County Kicks Off 2026 Seasonal Recycling Events With “Weekend of Shredding” on March 21st-22nd

The Union County Board of County Commissioners is pleased to announce that the 2026 seasonal recycling events will begin in March. The program will kick off with a "Weekend of Shredding." The first shredding events of the season, taking place on Saturday, March 21st and Sunday, March 22nd, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the West Hall parking lot (Police Academy) of the Union County VoTech Campus, located at 1776 Raritan Road in Scotch Plains.

"With the arrival of our seasonal recycling events, residents will have convenient opportunities to reduce waste, recycle unwanted items, and eliminate harmful products from their homes and environment," said Union County Commissioner Chairman Joseph C. Bodek. "I encourage everyone to make use of these programs and participate. By working together, we make Union County cleaner, safer, and more accessible for everyone."

Union County's free paper shredding events take place each year from March through October, bringing mobile paper shredding trucks to various locations throughout the County. Any Union County resident, regardless of their hometown, can take their personal documents to be shredded at any of these events and have them shredded onsite.

The shredding events are intended for personal and sensitive documents only. Residents can recycle magazines, junk mail, and other papers through their municipal recycling program. Please remove all bindings, large plastic or metal clips, and other paraphernalia prior to the event (staples are allowed). Pre-shredded, damp, or wet paper will not be accepted.

In addition to paper shredding, Union County's additional seasonal recycling programs, Scrap Metal Recycling and Hazardous Waste Disposal, will resume this Spring.

Union County's Scrap Metal events provide a space where residents can recycle various metal items, including refrigerators (with doors removed), metal cabinets, appliances, bicycles, aluminum scrap, and even air conditioners. The scrap metal items are collected at two locations on the first Thursday and third Saturday of the month, from April to November. The first scrap metal events of the season will take place on Thursday, April 2nd & Saturday, April 18th, from 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. On these dates, residents may recycle unwanted scrap metal items at either of our two convenient locations:

• Cranford: Emergency Services Building, 151 Kenilworth Boulevard
• Rahway: Rahway River Park (service yard across from swimming pool), 3 Parkway Drive

Union County's first Household Hazardous Waste event of the season will take place on Saturday, April 25th from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and will be held at Union County Vo-Tech in the West Hall/Police Academy Lot, located at 1776 Raritan Road in Scotch Plains. At these events, residents can bring a variety of household chemicals for proper recycling or disposal. These items include, but are not limited to, oil-based finishes, motor oil, gasoline, propane tanks, pool chemicals, pesticides, fluorescent light bulbs, and more. Latex (water-based) paint (wall paint), medical sharps, and welding gas/ oxygen cylinders will not be accepted. Residents are advised to dry latex paint out at home using commercial paint hardener, sand, kitty litter, or sawdust. Once hardened, it can be thrown in your household trash.

All Union County recycling events are contact-free and drive-up only. Residents must remain in their cars while staff unloads materials from their trunk. For a complete schedule and more information on all recycling programs hosted by Union County, please visit ucnj.org/recycle/ or call the Union County Recycling Hotline at 908-654-9889. Residents may also contact their municipal recycling coordinator for more details about recycling in their community. The free Recycle Coach mobile app provides a handy way to find out what items are included in curbside recycling programs and drop-off sites in Union County. The app provides up-to-date information on both countywide and local recycling programs. Quick links to all environmental programs and activities hosted by Union County are available at The Green Connection, ucnj.org/green-connection