Information About The New Waste & Recycling Contract With Penn Waste

CURBSIDE SOLID WASTE & RECYCLING COLLECTION

Lower Paxton Township's new trash and recycling contract with Penn Waste began on July 1, 2023.

Residents will see NO CHANGE in their regular weekly collection day.

Links to additional information:


Yard waste collection

Yard waste is collected every other week, on the same day as your trash and recycling. Please remember, grass clippings, fruits & veggies, tree stumps, and dirt & stones ARE NOT allowed as part of the yard waste collection. 

Click here for the yard waste collection schedule

yard waste guidelines from penn waste flyer

Please remember to properly space your trash cans and do not put materials between them or to the side

  • Residents are required to use the trash and recycling bins provided by Penn Waste. Also, please leave proper space between the bins and with the pickup bar facing the street.
  • All trash bags must be in the bin and carboard boxes and other recyclables must be broken down and put into the recycling bin. DO NOT PLACE ANY RECYCLABLES, SUCH AS CARBOARD BOXES, OUTSIDE THE BIN.

cart spacing graphic larger


Help is available for those who are physically unable to roll the new waste and recycling carts.

Penn Waste will assist residents who can certify they have a disability under the ADA of 1990, are unable to maneuver the carts, and that there is no one else in residence capable of assisting them. 

Residents must also submit a copy of a physician’s statement attesting to their inability to move the carts. For qualifying residents, Penn Waste will take the cart from the home to the vehicle for unloading and then return the cart to the same storage location.

When will I receive the first bill and can I use automatic withdrawal (ACH)?

Under the new contract, the Township is taking over all billing, collection and customer service administration, saving each resident $100 per year versus Penn Waste’s bid cost to provide those services. You will see your first waste bill as part of your 3rd Quarter Sewer/Stormwater bill – watch for your 2nd Quarter Bill insert for more information regarding the contract and service changes! If you automatically pay via ACH, you don’t need to change anything, but please be aware that the bill will increase by $108.52, the per quarter waste/recycling charge in the contract’s first period.

  • For more information about making payments via automatic withdrawal/ACH, click here


Why Lower Paxton has a new contract and hauler


Locally and throughout the country, higher fuel prices and increased labor costs cited by waste haulers are causing trash collection rates to spike, with many municipalities seeing costs to their residents double – or more. 

  • Lower Paxton Township Supervisors expect to approve a new contract in April, which will take effect July 1, 2023.. 

In 2022, for example, Middle Paxton Township’s collection rate nearly doubled to $600 per year and Derry Township saw an 89.7 percent trash increase to $113.85 per quarter. This year, residents in New Cumberland – where only one hauler bid -- will see an 80 percent increase to $90 per quarter. 

Automated trash collection becoming the norm 

A consequence of higher labor costs is that many haulers are moving away from so-called manual collection, where either bags or trash bags are collected by hand.

Instead, “automated collection” is increasingly becoming the only option, where residents use standardized wheeled carts. These carts have a metal bar allowing them to be picked up by a side-mounted arm, which dumps them in the truck. 

Lower Paxton’s situation 

The Township’s five-year contract with Waste Management ended this year. Waste Management refused to extend the agreement, under which residents pay $67/quarter. 

Township staff bid the contract with various options and with the intent to keep the current level of service, including weekly bulk collection and yard and leaf waste pickup. 

Three haulers bid on the new contract: Waste Management, Penn Waste, and Republic Services.  

  • Penn Waste was the low bidder, and by law, the township is required to approve the lowest responsible bid.

Below are comparisons of the three bids received, and to see and download the full PowerPoint presentation about the bids, click here. The green column to the right shows Penn Waste was the lowest responsible bidder for both municipal waste and recycling collection.

msw bid comparison

recycling bid comparisons

Penn Waste’s contract 

Penn Waste’s five-year contract maintains a similar level of service, including bi-weekly leaf waste collection, weekly bulk-item collection (pre-scheduled), and weekly recycling collection. All three companies only bid on automated collection, requiring residents to use the kind of trash carts provided by the hauler. 

The contract proposal, which includes three optional one-year extensions, has the following quarterly rates (excluding billing costs -- please see below):Screenshot 2023-04-11 171558

Note: The three-year contract option was almost $30/quarter more expensive. 

Billing 

Neither Waste Management nor Republic was willing to handle billing as part of the contract. Penn Waste offered to handle billing at an additional cost of $30/quarter. 

  • To lower costs for residents, the Township will handle billing in-house, which will only cost $5/quarter – a $25 savings over Penn Waste’s proposal. 
  • The total quarterly charge for waste/recycling service, including the $5 billing fee, will be $108.52. Residents will see the first bill under the new contract in the 3rd Quarter as part of their stormwater and sewer billing.

About the trash carts residents will receive

As previously noted, all three companies that bid on Lower Paxton’s waste removal contract only bid on the automated collection, requiring specific carts.

Initially, all residents will receive two 96-gallon carts – one for recycling and the other for trash (the cart can accommodate over 7 standard 13-gallon household trash bags). We realize that some households may not have a garage or other space to conveniently store the bins, so after the contract begins in July, residents can switch to a 65-gallon cart. 

Details about how residents can request the smaller cart will be available in the coming months.

Periodically, the township receives complaints about torn bags spilling trash in neighborhoods. Switching to these new carts – which all haulers required – provides homes with a sturdy container with an attached lid that should lessen the issue of spilled trash on collection days.

Recycling 

Pennsylvania law requires municipalities of Lower Paxton’s size to provide recycling collection. Part of Penn Waste’s low bid includes giving the Township a 10 percent discount awarding waste and recycling collection to the company. The cost of hiring additional staff and equipment to bring recycling in-house is cost prohibitive. 

Bulk pickup and yard waste 

The cost of continuing bulk pickup and yard waste collection is not a primary cost driver in the proposed contract – each service is less than $4/quarter for much of the agreement, rising to $4.17 in 2027. A concern is that eliminating bulk collection could lead to illegal dumping, and, as with recycling, expanding the Township’s Composing Facility to handle all residential yard waste would be cost-prohibitive.