Permits, Laws and Regulations

The Tompkins County Department of Recycling and Materials Management complies with the laws and regulations described in the following documents to provide high-quality service to the general public and commercial institutions. The Recycling and Solid Waste Center is designed to protect both human and environmental health.

Chapter 140 of the Tompkins County Code regulates solid waste and recyclable materials in Tompkins County. The Code is divided into 4 sections called Articles:

Article I: Mandatory Recycling

  • Declaration of Purpose:
    A. Institute a plan for the management of recyclables and reusables generated or originated in Tompkins County, to promote the safety, health, and well-being of persons and property within Tompkins County, and to B. Implement the express policy of the State of New York encouraging waste stream reduction through recycling.

Article II: Trash Tag System

  • Declaration of Purpose:
    This local law prescribes the methods of payment for disposal of solid waste through private and municipal solid waste haulers and encourages the recycling of solid waste.

Article III: Hauler Licensing

Article IV: Disposal

  • Declaration of Purpose:
    The purpose and intent of this local law is to prohibit the disposal of solid waste at any location other than at properly authorized facilities or sites and to prevent the unauthorized use of dumpsters and other solid waste containers.
    The adoption and vigorous enforcement of this local law is intended to be an effective deterrent to the dumping of solid waste. This local law shall be liberally construed to effectuate its objectives and purposes.

Under the New York State DEC 360 Permit(PDF, 159KB), the Tompkins County Recycling and Solid Waste Center has authorization ‘to receive recyclables for processing and marketing, and construction and demolition debris and other non-recyclables [that are] disposed of at a landfill. Yard waste [is] received and transferred to a facility as noted in the approved Solid Waste Management Plan.

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