Marple Considers Refuse and Recycling Pickup to Once a Week

BROOMALL–At a Board of Commissioners work session meeting on April 4, officials discussed a proposed plan of changing the refuse and recycling schedule to a once-a-week pickup schedule.

Currently, the township operates on a Monday/Thursday and Tuesday/Friday schedule for trash collection whereas recycling occurs on the first/third weeks of the month and the second/fourth weeks of the month.

At first when he heard of the new recycling and refuse plan to consider by township Director of Public Worsk Ed Cross, Commissioner Dan Leefson (R-7th District) admitted he was hesitant but then thought of the benefits to the idea.

"I pondered that and I started thinking about it and talked to some residents, and I think this board should consider it," offered Leefson to the board. "We're pushing recycling hard. If you look at the list of what we can recycle now...there's not a whole lot to throw into your trash anymore that can't go into the single-stream recycling."

Materials allowed in the single-stream recycling now include: all plastic soda, milk, and detergent bottles along with aluminum and bi-material cans and clear green, brown and blue glass along with newspapers, junk mail, and paper-back books can all be placed in the same container.

According to Leefson, the reduced recycling and refuse schedule will also make sense in dollars and cents.

"Here's the deal: if you put it in the trash can, we pay to get rid of it by the county," explained Leefson. "If you put it to recycle, most of the time, we get paid to get rid of it. So the more we recycle, in most casts, depending on the marketplace, we make money. The more you put in the trash, the more it costs us."

In other words, Leefson said the more the township can save in recycling, the more the possibility of residents' taxes being lower.

"So if we go once-a-week trash and once-a-week recycle, it should be a money maker for the township," continued Leefson. "If it's not a money maker, it should at least give us a break even point."

Commissioner John Longacre (R-5th District) said one of the recycling days would turn into a brush day in the proposed schedule. Longacre also mentioned if there were to be a holiday on a Monday, the trash collection would be scheduled for another day later that week so that no week would go without a collection day.

Longacre also reminded residents to think logically about putting out the trash.

"Don't put over 50-pounds in your trash can," said Longacre. "If you can't pick it up, our trash guys can't pick it up."

Township officials are still considering the schedule change and welcome residents' feedback. Recycling stickers and trash bins are available at the municipal building. According to officials, the bins available are 32-gallon bins and may be purchased for $20, which is same price that the township has purchased them for.