Roads and utilities
Trash, recycling and yard waste
Curbside recycling in Bridgewater is provided through Somerset County under a 2026 agreement of up to $477,537.28 ($28.16 per household for up to 16,958 households), approved Feb. 19, 2026, 5-0. The township's yard-waste site is run by a contractor at no cost to the township, and bulky-waste drop-off is held twice a year.
What happens next
No trash or recycling ordinance is pending. Councilman Kirsh said on Oct. 1 that the township is reminding residents of the existing rule on when trash cans may be left at the curb. Residents can speak in public comment at any Council meeting.
Recycling. Bridgewater’s curbside recycling is provided by Somerset County under an annual agreement with the Board of County Commissioners. The 2026 agreement, approved Feb. 19, 2026 after being tabled Feb. 5, is not to exceed $477,537.28, a fee of $28.16 for each of up to 16,958 households, paid from accounts dating to 2023–2026. Acting Chief Financial Officer Sarah Housman said leftover state recycling tonnage grants would offset this year’s cost. Councilman Andrew Bucko asked whether a private hauler would cost less; Administrator Michael Pappas said a past survey found no financially viable private option, and Mayor Matthew C. Moench said he would support looking again.
Yard waste and bulky waste. Nature’s Choice NJ, LLC manages and operates the township yard-waste site “at no cost to the Township” under a renewal running Sept. 1, 2026 to Aug. 31, 2027 (Aug. 6, 4-0). Councilman Michael Kirsh reported bulky-trash drop-off days on May 9 and Sept. 19, a service held “twice each year.”
Household garbage. The 2026 Council minutes contain no township contract for household garbage collection; how household trash is collected is not described in the record LocalWhy has reviewed. When a resident asked on Sept. 3 for a rule on trash cans left at the curb, Kirsh replied on Sept. 17 that the township already “has an ordinance regulating when containers may be placed outside” and would start with education.
The explainer has the contracts, the county committee seats and a closed-session litigation item on a trash transfer station.
What residents can do. Check the county’s recycling schedule on the Somerset County recycling page, watch for the township’s bulky-waste dates, and raise service concerns in public comment at a Township Council meeting. Corrections: info@localwhy.org.
Timeline
- Resolved 2026 county recycling agreement approved at up to $477,537.28The Council approved the 2026 recycling agreement with the Somerset County Board of Commissioners, up to $477,537.28 at $28.16 per household for up to 16,958 households, 5-0, after tabling it Feb. 5.
- Resolved Yard-waste site contract renewed at no cost to the townshipBy consent, 4-0 (Isla absent), the Council renewed Nature's Choice NJ, LLC's contract to manage, operate and maintain the township yard-waste site "at no cost to the Township," Sept. 1, 2026 through Aug. 31, 2027.
- Resolved Council member says an existing rule governs trash cans at the curbResponding to a resident who asked on Sept. 3 for a rule on cans left out at all times, Councilman Michael Kirsh said the township "has an ordinance regulating when containers may be placed outside" and would start with targeted and general communication.
Explainers
Documents
Township Council minutes, October 1, 2026: health benefits and quitclaim ordinances introduced
Township Council minutes, September 17, 2026: Motorola radio contract
Township Council minutes, September 3, 2026: data center ordinance #26-15 adopted
Township Council minutes, August 6, 2026: omnibus ordinance introduced; data center language removed
Township Council minutes, June 25, 2026: radio, road and drainage bonds introduced
Township Council minutes, April 23, 2026: cap bank and snow ordinance adopted
Township Council minutes, March 5, 2026: Fourth Round ordinances #26-01 to #26-04 adopted
Township Council minutes, February 19, 2026: Fourth Round housing ordinances introduced
Township Council minutes, February 5, 2026: professional appointments fail 2-3
Township Council minutes, January 8, 2026: Board of Adjustment appointments and temporary budget
Res. #25-02-06-074: 2025 recycling agreement with Somerset County
Meetings
- Township Council — October 15, 2026
- Township Council — October 1, 2026
- Township Council — September 17, 2026
- Township Council — September 3, 2026
- Township Council — June 25, 2026
- Township Council — April 23, 2026
- Township Council — March 5, 2026
- Township Council — February 19, 2026
- Township Council — February 5, 2026
Sources for this overview
- Township Council minutes, Feb. 19, 2026 (county recycling agreement)
- Township Council minutes, Aug. 6, 2026 (yard waste site renewal)
- Township Council minutes, Sept. 17, 2026 (trash-can placement rule)
- Township Council minutes, Oct. 1, 2026 (bulky-waste day; can reminders)
- Somerset County recycling page