Does an employee cleaning the parking lot have the authority to tell someone staying at TA they can not pick up recyclables off the ground and also has told that same person he has stayed long enough and that he needs to go

It is a private property even though it is open to the public they have the right to say what happens on their property

Too little information to make a judgement. For instance, how long had you stayed there? Twenty minutes, several hours or several days? Picking up bottles? Is there a sign posted to that fact? Is there a policy but it isn't posted? Too many unanswered questions.

Yes private property