The DPW office is open from 8 am to 4 PM Monday thru Friday.

The Department of Public Works provides essential services to the 41,000 residents of Kearny.

Overall, responsibilities of the DPW include the maintenance of 48 miles of paved roads including:

• Street sweeping
• Snow plowing and ice control
• Traffic line painting
• Traffic sign and street name sign maintenance
• 3 sanitary water pump stations
• 4 storm water pump stations
• 6,000+ feet of drainage ditches
• 3 tide gates on the Passaic River
• 1,000+ catch basins and manholes
• Municipal Recycling Drop-Off Center
• Building maintenance at all municipal buildings
• 2,000+ trees planted on municipal right of ways and municipal parks
• 90 miles of sewers
• Maintenance and repair of 100+ vehicles and pieces of equipment

Attention residents

• Latex paints will no longer be accepted during the household hazardous cleanout. You must dry out the cans with cat litter until the paint is fully absorbed and in a solid state which then can be disposed of in regular garbage.
• Alkaline batteries can now be thrown out in regular garbage as they no longer contain lead.
• Rechargeable batteries will still be accepted during the household hazardous cleanout, however you must put tape over the contacts on the batteries as they can explode and cause a fire.
• All mattresses or box springs put out for garbage collection must be wrapped in plastic.
• State of New Jersey Locations that accept material NOT accepted with your garbage or at the Recycling Facility. Click on the Link: NJDEP New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection

2021 Leaf program

The fall leaf program will begin the week of November 1, 2021. All residents should place their leaves in biodegradable paper leaf bags, and place them at the curb for pickup. Residents should no longer place leaves in the street on street sweeping day. There is also no longer a need to call to schedule a pickup of leaf bags, as they will be picked up from November 1, 2021 to January 7, 2022, in accordance with the following schedule:

Monday Zone 3 – Labeled Green on zoning map
Tuesday Zone 2 – Labeled Red on zoning map
Wednesday Zone – 1 – Labeled Blue on zoning map
Thursday Zone 3 – Labeled Green on zoning map
Friday Zone 4 – Labeled Yellow on zoning map

Zone map is below.

Leaf bags can be purchased Monday through Friday, 10 bags for $5.00, at the Kearny DPW, 357 Bergen Ave, between the hours of 8AM and 4PM.   Residents also may purchase biodegradable paper leaf bags from a retailer of their choice. Plastic bags of any kind will not be accepted for leaf disposable, bags must be biodegradable paper leaf bags.

Please note that only leaves should be placed in leaf bags. Grass, twigs and any other yard waste is to be disposed of with your regular garbage pickup.

To reiterate, leaves should not be placed in the street going forward. If you are serviced by a private landscaper, please inform them that they will either have to bag the leaves and place them at the curb, or haul them away. Warning notices will be issued to residents who place leaves in the street, and DPW will not pick them up.  If you have questions, or need bags picked up prior to November 1, 2021, please call the DPW at (201) 998-3700.