Waste Management Takes Over Palmer Trash Collection

Waste Management is now running Palmer Township's trash business.

The company took over garbage collection for more than 7,200 households in the township May 1 and has been doling out new waste and recycling carts along with lower collection bills as Waste Management introduces automated waste pickup and single-stream recycling to the community. 

The new service allows residents to recycle a greater variety of paper, plastics, glass and metals more conveniently.

The 96-gallon waste and recycling carts each home will receive are being delivered. All homes should receive their new carts by May 10 and should begin using the carts as soon as they arrive, township officials said. 

Waste Management’s Northeast Pennsylvania Hauling Company/Grand Central Sanitation will use new automated collection trucks to mechanically pick up and empty the carts. Separate trucks will be used for each material. 

“Things are changing for the better in Palmer Township. We’ll be able to increase the amount of material we recycle, reduce what we send to the landfill, and pay less for these services,” said Christopher S. Christman, township manager. “Our residents wanted to be able to recycle more material and the township is about to begin providing that service at a nearly 10 percent savings over last year’s cost.” 

Cindy Oatis helped write the proposal that won a $250,000 Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection grant that funded the purchase of the more than 14,000 new waste and recycling carts. The carts are designed to be easily handled by residents.

“Our residents need to know that these carts are the only containers they can use for garbage and recycling collection,” Oatis said. “Material placed out for collection in any other container will not be picked up.” 

Oatis said the carts must be placed out for collection by 6 a.m. on collection day and must be taken off the street by 7 p.m. on the night of collection.

The carts will be placed in the street with their wheels toward the curb and the arrows on the lid pointing toward the center of the street.

The carts should be placed at least three feet apart and at least four feet from any obstacles, including parked cars, trees, mailboxes and utility poles. Overfilled carts will not be collected.

“Residents who have multiple trash cans should not be concerned about now having only one waste cart,” Christman said. “The 96-gallon carts hold a tremendous amount of material and with the expanded recycling service we are offering, our homes should be recycling much more material and producing much less waste.”

Bill Gallagher, senior manager at WM’s Northeast Pennsylvania Hauling, said the company normally sees recycling participation and volumes increase by 30 percent or more when single-stream service is introduced.

These are the items and materials that Palmer Township households will be able to recycle beginning May 1: 

Plastics – #1 through #7 (Palmer Twp. residents could not previously recycle #6 plastics).

Glass – rinsed clear, brown and green glass bottles and jars only, lids removed.

Metals – aluminum, tin and steel cans, aluminum foil and pastry tins, and household metals.

Paper – office and school paper, newsprint, junk mail, paper bags, phone books.

Cardboard – corrugated cardboard, chipboard and boxboard (food boxes, cereal boxes, gift boxes) cut or flattened as needed.

Food and beverage cartons – milk and orange juice cartons, juice boxes, liquid food cartons (like those soups and broths are packaged in). 

Items that will not be collected as waste or recycling include televisions and computer equipment, appliances that contain refrigerants, liquid waste, hazardous household wastes, medical waste, exposed needles, dead animals, dirt and rock, tree limbs, building materials, tires, car parts, polystyrene foam. 

Information about holiday collection schedules and bulk-item, yard waste and white good pickups and fall leaf and Christmas tree collections is available on the township’s website at www.palmertwp.com. Service information also is available from Waste Management’s Customer Service team at 1-800-621-2100.

“Residents have access to a wealth of information on the township’s website which is indicative of Palmer’s commitment to the environment and finding new ways to conserve resources and serve residents,” Gallagher said. “The township should be commended for seeking the state grant and expanding the community’s recycling service while reducing household waste and recycling costs by almost 10 percent.” 

Palmer households will pay $280 a year for waste and recycling services, down from $309.

Township residents have received two mailings explaining the new services in greater detail and the new weekly collection schedule. Additional information also will be included in the carts that are being delivered to each home.