Background

The capital of New York, Albany (pop. 98,424), offers a single-stream curbside recycling program covering all single-family housing in the city as well as apartment dwellings four units or smaller. Both green or blue recycling bins are spotted here for weekly recycling collection. Albany residents also have options when it comes to the safe disposal of household electronics and household hazardous waste — an electronics drop-off location is available to all near the center of town, and HHW and electronic drop-off days are scheduled throughout the year.

Materials recycled

Paper Newspapers and inserts, magazines, catalogs, loose paper, paperboard, junk mail, phonebooks, food and beverage cartons, paperback books, soft-covered notebooks, paper bags, shredded paper (contained in a clear plastic bag) and corrugated cardboard are accepted. Plastic Plastics bottles and containers numbered 1 through 7 (rinsed) are accepted. No Styrofoam products or plastic bags. Metal Aluminum cans (rinsed), steel/tin cans (rinsed), metal lids, empty aerosol cans and clean aluminum foil are accepted. Glass Glass containers, bottles and jars (all colors; rinsed) are accepted.

Frequency

Albany residents recycle at the curb on a weekly basis, same day as refuse collection. Bins should not be placed curbside prior to 7 p.m. the day prior to collection and no later than midnight the day of collection. A recycling collection map is available online.

Other programs

The city’s HHW and electronics drop-off days, scheduled periodically throughout the year, take place on designated dates from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Rapp Road Landfill, 525 Rapp Rd. The events are open to all Albany residents. An updated schedule, as well as a complete list of accepted hazardous materials and electronics, is available here. The electronics drop-off facility is located at Albany’s Department of General Services, 1 Conners Blvd. No appointment necessary. Free paper shredding and book recycling events take place in Albany’s Washington Park twice annually. Yard waste is collected at the curb on a weekly basis, same day as recycling and refuse pick-up. Organics must be contained in biodegradable paper bags. Accepted organics include leaves, grass clippings, branches (bundled together, not to exceed 4 feet 4 inches long), bushes and small stumps. Christmas trees are collected following the holiday and may be placed at the curb beside the yard waste bags.

More information

Visit the City of Albany Recycling website for more recycling program info.