Is there an expectation of privacy in a common area paper recycle bin in a federal government office?

There is no expectation of privacy in anything thrown away, and I imagine this would be extended to material thrown in a public bin for recycyling.

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that the police may legally search, without a search warrant, trash or garbage that individuals put out for collection. California v. Greenwood, 486 U.S. 35 (1988).

But at least five state supreme courts have held that their state constitution prohibits search of garbage without a warrant:

California. People v. Krivda, 486 P.2d 1262 (Calif. 1971), vacated and remanded, 409 U.S. 33 (1972), reaff'd, 504 P.2d 457 (1973), cert. denied, 412 U.S. 919 (1973).

Hawaii. State v. Tanaka, 701 P.2d 1274 (Haw. 1985).

New Jersey. State v. Hempele, 576 A.2d 793 (N.J. 1990).

Washington. State v. Boland, 800 P.2d 1112 (Wash. 1990).

Vermont. State v. Morris, 680 A.2d 90 (Vt. 1996).

The current law in the U.S.A. (federal as well as most states) is that (1) a person has no reasonable expectation of privacy for contents of garbage and (2) a person has relinquished any property interest in garbage, even when it sits in metal trash cans or opaque plastic bags at the person's home awaiting collection.

There is quite a bit of case law on "garbage jurisprudence." See links below.