Should I provide tenants of MF with blue recycling bags?

[Johann Jells]

My city can be a real PITA about trash, I've gotten several $200 tickets, some of which wasn't even due to residents. They want recyclables in clear or clear blue bags. I bought a roll for one of my buildings as a courtesy to show them what the right product was, and my tenant who takes out the trash said other tenants were using the bags for the household trash! Not good deed goes unpunished. 

So now. I wasn't really planning on continuing to provide these bags for a 4 family, but I could. But not if they misuse them. But a ticket costs a LOT of bags, and the judge is not very sympathetic to landlords.  This being NJ I don't really have a lot of leverage over the tenants either other than threatening them with a 10% rent hike, no NJ judge would allow eviction over stupid crap like this, or even unpaid penalties I might impose.

Do I just suck it up?

[Nathan Gesner]

No. Tenants are responsible for utilities, which includes trash and recycling. Make it clear: if the fail to abide by the law and a fine is issued, you will pass that fine on to them. 

If this is an on-going issue, you may want to install a security camera to monitor who is causing the problem.