Weekly Collection Schedule
Official municipal pickup timing for East Windsor
In New Jersey, municipal refuse and recycling routes operate weekly. Your exact collection days are determined by your local borough or township.
State Mandate
The NJ Mandatory Source Separation and Recycling Act requires all residents to separate designated recyclables.
Resident-provided (No official color) Bin (Trash)
Use standard cans up to 32 gallons with removable lids. Maximum weight is 50 pounds per can or bag. Place curbside between 9:00 PM the night before and 7:00 AM on collection day.
Accepted Items
- ✓Everyday household garbage
- ✓Food waste
- ✓Bagged grass clippings
- ✓Dried solid paint (lids removed)
Yellow or Green 32-gallon buckets (MCIA-issued) Bin (Recycling)
Commingled recycling is collected Township-wide every other Friday by the MCIA. Items must be placed loosely in the official buckets by 7:00 AM.
Accepted Items
- ✓Glass bottles and jars
- ✓Aluminum and tin cans
- ✓Plastics #1 and #2
- ✓Mixed paper and newspaper
- ✓Corrugated cardboard
Do NOT Include
- ✕Plastic bags
- ✕Pizza boxes
- ✕Electronics and TVs
- ✕Hazardous waste
Yard Waste Bin
Brush must be bundled (max 3 feet long, under 50 lbs) and tied with heavy twine or rope for Wednesday bulk pickup. Grass is collected on regular trash days but must be kept out of the street.
Accepted Items
- ✓Grass clippings
- ✓Brush and small branches
- ✓Fall leaves
Bulky Item Pickup
Frequency
Once a month (Wednesdays, based on Areas 1-4)
Placement
Place bulk items at the curbside between 9:00 PM the night before and 7:00 AM on your assigned Wednesday. Remove any empty containers by 9:00 PM that evening.
Accepted
- ✓ Furniture and mattresses
- ✓ Carpeting (rolled and tied)
- ✓ Bundled brush and wood (nails removed)
- ✓ Large non-metal household items
Not Accepted
- ✕ Contractor and construction debris
- ✕ Hazardous waste and liquid paint
- ✕ Electronics and white goods (appliances)
- ✕ Loose brush or untied wood
Included in standard Garbage District services. White goods (appliances) and electronics are handled via separate Township recycling programs.
Holiday Schedule
General Rule
In the event of holidays or weather emergencies, trash schedules may be disrupted. Collections resume immediately following the conclusion of the event, and updates are posted on the Township homepage.
Yard Waste Exception
MCIA recycling pickups scheduled on a major Friday holiday are typically delayed to the following Saturday. Contact MCIA directly at 609-278-8086 for precise shifts.
Residents are encouraged to sign up for East Windsor E-News on the official website to receive real-time alerts regarding weather and holiday-related service disruptions.
Observed Holidays
!Contamination Tips
Stop Using Cardboard Boxes for Trash
The Public Works Department explicitly forbids using empty cardboard boxes as makeshift containers for your household garbage. Cardboard is a mandated recyclable material; if used for trash, the box and its contents will be left at the curb.
Remove All Nails from Bulk Wood
When placing scrap wood or lumber at the curb for your Wednesday bulk pickup, you must remove all nails or hammer them flat into the wood so no sharp points are exposed. This prevents severe injuries to the sanitation crews.
Use Heavy Rope for Brush Bundles
If you are bundling branches for bulk collection, do not use thin or undersized string. You must use heavy twine, strong strips of rags, or rope to ensure the 50-pound bundles do not break apart when lifted.
Seasonal Information
Winter
December - MarchGarbage District vehicles and sanitation crews are a vital part of East Windsor's snow removal team [1.1.3]. During major snowstorms, household trash collection may be temporarily disrupted so the trucks can plow and salt the municipal roadways.
Autumn
October - DecemberThe Township conducts a dedicated Fall Leaf Collection program. Do not mix sticks, branches, or trash into your leaf piles, as these contaminants can cause severe damage to the municipal leaf vacuuming equipment.
Summer
May - SeptemberGrass clippings generate heavily during the summer. While they are collected on your normal trash days and bulk days, you must never blow or dump grass into the roadway—it must remain on the curb line.
About East Windsor Waste Management
Navigating the East Windsor Garbage District
Most residential properties in East Windsor fall under the municipal Garbage District, with the exception of select private communities like Twin Rivers and Stonegate that hire their own haulers. For those serviced by the Township, household garbage is collected twice a week. Route 1 receives pickups on Mondays and Thursdays, while Route 2 is serviced on Tuesdays and Fridays. Cans must not exceed 32 gallons or 50 pounds, and residents are highly encouraged to test the weight of their cans before placing them at the curb to protect sanitation workers from injury.
The Wednesday-Only Bulk Waste System
East Windsor structures its bulk waste collections exclusively on Wednesdays, divided into four specific areas. Area 1 is picked up on the first Wednesday of the month, followed sequentially by Area 4 on the fourth Wednesday. The Public Works Department strictly limits bulk set-outs to two piles per household, and neither pile may exceed six feet by four feet in size. This ensures the crews have enough time to complete the entire route for all residents.
Aligning with Mercer County for Friday Recycling
Through a shared services agreement with the Mercer County Improvement Authority (MCIA), East Windsor's recycling is collected on a Township-wide basis every other Friday. Residents must place their commingled recyclables in county-approved 32-gallon buckets. The MCIA prefers the use of yellow or green buckets and has requested that residents phase out the older blue buckets, though replacements can be picked up at the Public Works facility on Ward Street.
Strict Rules for Grass and Bundled Brush
Yard waste disposal in East Windsor has highly specific protocols. Grass clippings are collected on your regular twice-weekly trash days and your monthly bulk day, but they must be kept on the curb—never in the roadway. For brush and branches, pieces must be cut to three feet or shorter and securely bundled. The Township will not collect any loose brush, and each bundle must weigh 50 pounds or less.
Keeping Hazardous Paint Out of the Garbage Trucks
The Township strictly prohibits placing liquid paint cans into the regular garbage. When compacted inside the heavy municipal garbage trucks, wet paint bursts and leaks onto the roadway, leaving unsightly residues on East Windsor's streets. Any leftover latex paint must be completely dried out—using cat litter or a commercial hardener—before the cans can be safely disposed of in the trash.
Drop-off Facilities
East Windsor Public Works Facility
309 Ward Street, East Windsor, NJ 08520
Materials Accepted
Frequently Asked Questions
Does East Windsor Township provide my garbage cans?
No. Residents must supply their own garbage cans. The cans cannot exceed 32 gallons in capacity and must have removable lids. Overweight cans exceeding 50 pounds will be tagged with a violation and left at the curb.
When is my bulk trash pickup day?
Bulk pickup is conducted exclusively on Wednesdays, depending on your geographic area. Area 1 is picked up on the first Wednesday of the month, Area 2 on the second, Area 3 on the third, and Area 4 on the fourth Wednesday.
Who do I call if my recycling was not picked up?
Recycling in East Windsor is managed county-wide by the Mercer County Improvement Authority (MCIA) on an every-other-Friday schedule. If your recycling is missed, you must contact the MCIA directly at 609-278-8086.
Can I throw away wet paint in the garbage?
No. Under no circumstances should liquid paint be placed in your trash. When compacted, the cans explode and ruin the streets. You must completely dry out the paint using a hardener or cat litter before placing the cans at the curb.