Union County Announces Final Paper Shredding & Household Hazardous Waste Recycling Events of the 2025 Season

The Union County Board of County Commissioners is pleased to announce the final mobile paper shredding and household hazardous waste events of the 2025 season, along with continued opportunities for scrap metal recycling through October. These programs are offered free of charge to all Union County residents.

"As we close out this year's recycling events, I want to thank our residents for continuing to step up and do their part," said Union County Commissioner Chairwoman Lourdes M. Leon. "Every time you bring documents to shred or safely dispose of household chemicals, you're helping protect our neighborhoods, our environment, and future generations. These programs only succeed because of your participation, and I encourage everyone to take advantage of these final opportunities in October."

Residents are encouraged to securely shred personal documents at the final paper shredding event of the year, taking place on Saturday, October 18th, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Berkeley Heights Municipal Building Parking Lot, located at 29 Park Avenue in Berkeley Heights. All documents are shredded on-site, and the shredded paper is taken to a recycling facility for processing. The event will conclude before 1:00 p.m., should the trucks fill up first.

This event concludes the County's 2025 mobile paper shredding season, which runs annually from March through October. The shredding events are open to all residents, regardless of their municipality, and are intended for the disposal of 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 before the event (staples are allowed). Pre-shredded, damp, or wet paper will not be accepted.

Union County will hold its final Household Hazardous Waste event of the year on Sunday, October 26th, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. 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 lightbulbs, and more. Latex (water-based) paint will not be accepted, and 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. Please note that we will no longer accept fireworks at these events. However, ammunition will still be accepted by Union County Police on-site.

Union County's Scrap Metal Recycling Program also continues through October, with the next drop-off event to be held on Saturday, October 18th, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at two convenient locations:

• Cranford: Emergency Services Building, 151 Kenilworth Boulevard
• Rahway: Rahway River Park (follow Park Drive, Rahway off St. George's Avenue to service yard across from swimming pool)

Accepted items include refrigerators (with doors removed), metal cabinets, appliances, bicycles, aluminum scrap, air conditioners, and other metal household goods. The scrap metal program runs on the first Thursday and third Saturday of each month, April through November. Please note that there will be no event on October 2nd (the First Thursday of the month) due to the Yom Kippur holiday.

All Union County recycling events are contact-free and drive-up only. Residents must remain in their cars while staff unloads materials from their trunks. Union County Recycling Programs are funded through Recycling Enhancement Act (REA) funds, which are applied for and received by the County of Union.

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.