Trash Collection
Residential trash is collected on Mondays and Thursdays above (north of) Route 1 (Superhighway) and Tuesdays and Fridays below (south of) Route 1 (Superhighway) except for New Years Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Collection may occur as early as 6:00 a.m. so please place trash at the curb after 6:00 p.m. the night preceding collection. Remove empty containers by 10:00 a.m. the day following collection. Trash must be placed in a suitable container, which has handles and a removable, tight-fitting lid and is watertight and animal proof. Containers shall be no smaller than twenty (20) gallons and no larger than thirty-five (35) gallons in capacity and weigh less than fifty (50) pounds when full. Carpets must be bundled in less than four (4) foot lengths. A maximum of ten (10) containers, bags, or bundles of trash will be collected each collection day.
Any questions regarding issues with trash, recycling or yard waste collection are to be directed to Waste Management at 1-800-255-8479. This is a direct access phone number for Middletown residents. Use the key phrase "Middletown Township - Bucks County" when speaking with the customer service representative or when leaving a message on the after-hours message system. A Waste Management representative will be available Monday through Friday, 7:30 AM to 5:00 PM. The after-hours message system will be monitored so that issues reported after hours are corrected as soon as possible, the following day. Please make sure to listen to the entire recorded message. At the end of the message, press "1" for other options. Pressing "1" will allow you to leave a message in the assigned after-hours voicemail box. Remember to leave your address and a contact number if you wish to receive a return call.
Refrigerators, freezers, dehumidifiers, air conditioners, and any other appliances containing Freon are collected by appointment only. Doors, drawers and shelving must be removed and put out with regular trash on the 2nd collection day of the week. To schedule a pickup, call Waste Management at 1-800-255-8479. All other bulk items, such as furniture and appliances, are collected on the 2nd collection day of each week along with regular trash. Bulk items are limited to one (1) item per week.
Latex (water-based) paint may be placed in the trash for regular collection. Please allow the unused paint to harden or use kitty litter to absorb the paint to prevent it from spilling onto the street during collection. Paint cans must be placed at the curb with the lids off.
The hauler is not responsible for the removal of building materials in excess of one (1) container per week, automobiles, automobile parts, tree stumps, demolition materials, concrete, dirt, tires, and household hazardous waste. Each homeowner is responsible for the proper disposal of these items.
Residents whose trash is collected on the Township's contract with Waste Management are assessed the Solid Waste and Recycling Fee, billed with your real estate taxes each year. The annual Solid Waste and Recycling Fee is $401. This will be the annual fee through 2024.
Holiday Schedule
When any of the holidays noted above fall on a collection day, trash will be collected on the next regular collection day. When a holiday falls on a recycling day, recyclables will be collected the following day.
Recycling Collection
We all know that recycling plastic, paper, glass and metal helps protect the environment and enables us to conserve precious natural resources. Residential recycling is mandatory in Middletown Township, but beginning May 1, 2011 sorting your recyclables before you place them at the curb is no longer necessary. With the new Single Stream Recycling Program you will be able to place ALL of your recyclables neatly into to one container.
Recyclables will continue to be collected on your normal recycling collection day, every week. You may place ALL recyclables in the same recycling container. Materials should continue to be prepared in the same manner as now with containers rinsed out. Items should be flattened whenever possible to maximize space. Do not include food waste, films, plastic bags and wrap or foam cups and containers along with recyclables.
Place your recyclables at the curb on your regular recycling collection day, separate from your regular trash. Containers can be up to 35-gallons in size, have a separate, tight-fitting lid, have handles and not weigh more than 50 pounds when full. Toter-type containers with attached lids are not permitted. The Township has labels available (at the Municipal Center) at no charge that can be applied to containers to identify them as recyclables.
Acceptable Single-Stream Recyclables include:
Magazines, Office Paper, Brown Paper Bags, Newspapers, Paperboard, Cereal Box Cardboard, Dairy and Juice Containers, Corrugated Cardboard (no larger than 4' x 4' squares), Junk Mail, Phone Books, Glass Bottles and Jars, Plastic Bottles and Containers (Recycle Types 1 through 5, and 7), Aluminum, Tin and Steel Cans.
Collection may occur as early as 6:00 a.m., so please place recyclables at the curb after 6:00 p.m. the night preceding collection. Remove empty containers by 10:00 a.m. the day following collection.
Recyclable materials are collected on Mondays for those residents above (north of) Route 1 (Superhighway) and Tuesdays for those residents below (south of) Route 1 (Superhighway).
Middletown is proud to partner with Waste Management to increase recycling and help preserve the environment. Watch Waste Managements "Recycle Properly" Seminar here and the PowerPoint from the seminar is available here.
Waste Management Video on Their New Single-Stream Recycling Facility
Click here to view a video on YouTube from Waste Management on their new single-stream Material Recovery Facility in Philadelphia. Recyclables collected by Waste Management in Middletown Township are processed at this facility.
Electronics Recycling
On January 24, 2013, a disposal ban on computers and electronics went into effect in Pennsylvania. This includes desktop computers, laptop computers, computer monitors, computer peripherals such as printers, external drives, fax machines, etc. and televisions. Computers and any of their components cannot be put into the trash or put out with recyclables for curbside pickup. These devices and their components must be properly recycled and may not be taken to landfills or other solid waste disposal facilities.
Residents may not dispose of their computers and electronics with municipal waste collection. Computers and electronics must be taken to an electronics collection location for proper recycling. Click the link below for a list of local electronic recyclers. Electronics can also be taken to a Pennsylvania DEP permitted electronics recycling facility.
Businesses may not dispose of their computers and electronics with municipal waste collection. For businesses, computers and electronics must be taken to an electronics recycling facility. The recycling facility does not need to be certified, but if the facility is located in Pennsylvania, it must have a Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection general permit number WMGR081.
A list of local electronic recycling locations is available here. The list is in no particular order and includes permitted recyclers and a County approved drop-off location.
Yard Waste Collection
Yard waste is collected every Wednesday throughout the Township from April through January. Yard waste includes clippings, leaves, prunings, branches, house plants, fruits, vegetables, and other refuse that is generated by yard and garden maintenance. There is no limit to the amount of yard waste collected each Wednesday.
During the months of February and March, residents may place 5 bags, bundles or containers of yard waste out for collection with the regular trash, to be included in the 10-container limit.
Christmas trees are picked up on Wednesdays throughout the month of January. Make sure all of the decorations and lights are removed. Do not place trees in plastic bags.
Residents are to place their yard waste in either 30-gallon biodegradable paper bags or in a regular twenty (20) to thirty-five (35) gallon trash container with handles and a removable lid. Containers/bags shall weigh no more than fifty (50) pounds when full. Residents may not use cardboard boxes, plastic bags or biodegradable plastic bags, as these will not be accepted at the composting facility. Tree branches (no thicker than six (6) inches in diameter) are to be bundled into four (4) foot lengths and placed next to the yard waste at the curb. Do not rake leaves into the street.
Household Hazardous Waste Collection
Many household products contain chemicals that when discarded contribute to the contamination of our environment by polluting our soil, air and water. A Household Hazardous Waste Collection Program provides the opportunity to reduce the amount of hazardous household chemical waste that is flushed down toilet and kitchen drains, "disposed" of in the backyard, dumped into storm drains or simply disposed of in the municipal waste stream. These typical means of disposal are both hazardous to public health and unnecessary. Yet, it continues because individuals are frequently unaware that many useful products contain hazardous chemicals. It is the consumer's responsibility to use and dispose of household products safely. Certain household waste should be brought to community household hazardous waste collections events for proper disposal.
Household hazardous waste will be collected on various dates and locations throughout Bucks County. Click this link for information on the locations, dates and times. Additional information regarding this program can be found by visiting the Recycling Page on Bucks County Hazardous Waste and Recycling page.
Apartment, Commercial and Institutional Recycling
Per Ordinance 90-11, all residents who reside in apartments and all owners of commercial and institutional establishments are required to recycle in accordance with the following regulations.
Apartments
Apartment owners are responsible for establishing, implementing and managing a program for the collection and transportation of recyclable materials generated at their properties. Owners must inform all persons residing at the property of the program, including the dates, time, and location of collection, the items to be recycled, and the method of collection. Such information must be provided by the owner to all tenants not less than once a year and to all new tenants at the time of occupancy.
The materials to be recycled at apartments include newsprint, corrugated paper, glass bottles and jars (all colors), food and beverage cans (aluminum, steel, and bimetal), and plastic bottles and jars coded 1 or 7 inside the recycling logo located on the bottom of the container.
Commercial and Institutional Establishments
All owners of commercial and institutional establishments must also provide a system to separate recyclable materials from solid waste. The materials to be recycled by these establishments include high-grade office paper, corrugated paper, and aluminum. Additional materials, such as newsprint, glass containers (all colors), steel and bimetal cans, and plastic bottles and jars coded 1 or 7, may also be recycled.
Yard Waste
All owners of commercial and institutional establishments and apartments are required to separate yard (leaf) waste from solid waste, as yard (leaf) waste may no longer be collected with the trash and taken to a landfill.