FAQs of Trash/Recycling
- Regular trash and recycling collection days are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, depending on where you live.
- To find out your specific collection day, email Joanne Yost at jyost@twp.lancaster.pa.us, or call (223) 221-7507.
- How much trash can I put out? Trash is limited to three 32-gallon trash cans or bags per week, no more than 30 pounds each. Additional cans or bags must have a YELLOW extra service tag ($1.25) attached to each. Cans and/or bags weighing more than 30 pounds must have a RED extra service tag ($4.00) attached to each.
- Click on this link for information on special collection dates.
- Yard Waste Collection information can be found here.
- For answers to frequently asked questions regarding trash/recycling, scroll down this page to the FAQs section.
NOTE: NO LOOSE TRASH IN YOUR TRASH CAN – Here are just a few reasons why:
- It’s unsanitary for the hauler if they have to reach down into the trash can to lift out loose trash.
- Trash bags keep trash contained and can help keep your trash can cleaner.
- Bagged trash is much easier and faster to pick up and toss into the back of the truck.
- If you use a trash can with no lid, loose light-weight material may blow or fall out before the hauler even gets there to collect it. It then winds up blowing all around your neighborhood
- And, if you use a trash can with no lid, loose trash will be picked up by birds, squirrels, or other rodents, and then deposited all around your neighborhood.
- If the hauler lifts your can to dump your trash into the back of the truck, loose trash can blow away easily, especially on windy days.
- It is important that all waste is bagged and that the bag is securely tied closed.
Recycling is mandatory in Lancaster Township (by Ordinance 1990-02) for all residents, apartment dwellers, and businesses within the township. This is a co-mingled program.
- The ONLY FOUR acceptable materials for recycling are: corrugated cardboard, plastic bottles/jugs with necks, metal food/beverage cans, and glass jars/bottles. All items should be cleaned out before placing in the recycle bin. In case of rain, snow, ice, or high winds, keep corrugated cardboard inside until the following week. Click here for detailed information on recycling.
ALL ELECTRONIC WASTE is PROHIBITED from being disposed of with your trash or recycling by the PA Covered Devices Recycling Act 108 of 2010. Residents and businesses may drop electronic waste for FREE at the county Household Hazardous Waste Facility at 1299 Harrisburg Pike. (717) 397-9968; email: info@lcswma.org. All electronics must be intact and will not be accepted by the HHW Facility otherwise.
Items include:
- Batteries: Household & Automotive (household batteries ONLY may also be placed in a special battery bag and placed on the ground NEXT TO your trash container, NOT IN IT or the recycle bin; click here for info)
- Desktop computers & Laptops
- Monitors & Computer peripherals, including keyboard, mouse, printer and speakers
- Televisions & e-Readers
- Cameras: photo and video
- Cell phones/smart phones (may also be placed in a special battery bag; click here for info)
- Phone peripherals, such as: chargers, batteries, Bluetooth earpieces, air cards, clips, cases
- DVD and VCR players
- MP3 players and iPods
- All electronic game players, video game consoles, and controllers
- Stereos and peripherals: CD players, turntables, amplifiers, speakers (no wooden materials)
The FAQs of Trash/Recycle Collection
Trash & recycling must be placed out the night before your collection day within five feet of the curb, and clearly visible to the collector. Recycling is collected the same day as trash, but not always at the same time. Containers should be promptly removed after collection.
Trash is limited to three 32-gallon trash cans or bags per week, no more than 30 pounds each. Cans and/or bags weighing more than 30 pounds must have a RED extra service tag ($4.00) attached to each.
Yes, BUT ONLY IF there is a YELLOW extra service tag ($1.25) attached to each and they are under the 30 lb. limit. Bags/containers over 30 lbs. require a RED tag.
Recycling is mandatory in the township, and is a co-mingled program. The only acceptable materials for recycling are THE BIG 4: corrugated cardboard, plastic bottles/jugs with necks, metal food/beverage cans, and glass jars/ bottles. All items should be cleaned out. In case of rain, snow, ice, or high winds, keep corrugated cardboard inside until the following week.
If your trash and/or recycling is missed, you must report it the same day or next day by 10AM in order for it to be collected the day after your scheduled day; otherwise, it will have to wait until your next scheduled collection day.
EACH over-sized item must have a RED extra service tag ($4.00) attached to it. You may put out only two (2) red tag items per week. These items are collected on the same day as your regular trash day. Over-sized items include: bicycle, microwave, mattress, box spring, couch, chair, small furniture, carpet (cut into 5 ft. pieces & bundled or tied), a house door, toilet, tub, sink, charcoal grill, gas grill with PROPANE TANK REMOVED. Contact HHW Facility – (717) 397-9968 about disposal of all propane tanks, including those for camping stoves. Dehumidifiers, large appliances, and tires are NOT considered an over-sized item. These are collected during the twice yearly large appliance/tire collection or they can be taken to the Lancaster County Solid Waste Authority, 1299 Harrisburg Pike.
First, placing your name and address on your container is recommended. Second, containers should have pre-molded handles. Fifty-five (55) gallon barrels, or any container or barrel without handles, are unacceptable trash containers—they present a safety hazard to the hauler and cannot be picked up easily. Third, containers with lids are helpful in preventing birds, squirrels, and other animals from spreading trash around the curb, the street, and your neighborhood.
Grass clippings are not permitted to be included with the curbside yard waste collection, and the township woody waste facility DOES NOT ACCEPT grass clippings. Read the full notice here. Martin Mulch Products in Ephrata (located at 55 Woodcrest Drive), will accept grass clippings for a fee. Call them for more information – (717) 733-1602.
Residents may pick up a special battery collection bag at the township office. Household batteries (and cell phones) can be placed in the bag. Once the bag is full, place it on the ground NEXT TO your trash container, NOT IN IT or the recycle bin. The trash hauler will collect the bag(s) during regular trash pick-up. Household batteries and cell phones can also be taken to the county household hazardous waste facility at 1299 Harrisburg Pike. Automotive batteries must be taken to the HHW facility.
NEVER put loose Sharps/needles in the trash—ALWAYS USE a Safe Clip™. Lancaster County Solid Waste provides them for free, and they are available for purchase at most pharmacies. Once full, place container in the trash, never in recycling. Click on this link for more information on proper disposal of medical waste.
Twice a year (typically in May & November) there is a special collection week for large appliances. This includes washers, dryers, dishwashers, refrigerators, stoves, freezers, hot water heaters, air conditioners, furnaces, dehumidifiers, etc. A $12 Blue tag must be attached to each appliance.
The same week as the large appliance collection, twice a year there is a special collection week for tires. This collection is for standard vehicle or motorcycle tires ONLY and NO RIMS. NO COMMERCIAL OR OVER-SIZED TIRES WILL BE COLLECTED. A $2.00 Purple tag must be attached to each tire.
Click on this link for detailed information regarding Christmas tree disposal.
PA Covered Devices Recycling Act 108 of 2010 prohibits the disposal of e-waste with trash or recycling (e.g. televisions, computers/accessories, tables, e-readers, cell phones/chargers/accessories, cameras, etc.). These items must be taken to the county Hazardous Waste Facility at 1299 Harrisburg Pike. (717) 397- 9968. For a complete list of these items, click here.
Absolutely NO household construction or demolition waste is to be put out for regular trash/recycle pickup. If you hired a contractor to do work, you should make arrangements with that contractor to dispose of this material. Or, you must take it directly to the Lancaster County Solid Waste Management Authority transfer station at 1299 Harrisburg Pike, Lancaster.
All landowners within the township must have their trash picked up by the township hired contractor. Exceptions are apartment buildings with four or more units and businesses (not including in-home occupations). Those that are exempt from being on the township trash service are still required to have a licensed LCSWMA-approved hauler to pick up their trash. Apartment owners are to provide trash/recycling opportunities for their tenants. It is the landlord’s responsibility to inform tenants of any ordinances the township has that may affect them.