Penn Township, Westmoreland County: Recycling

The following items can be placed at the curb in your recycling bin for pickup. Note that recyclable items do not need to be separated by type in your recycling bin.

Plastic, 22-gallon recycling bins may be purchased from Penn Township for $8.00 each. If you are unable to visit the Municipal Building to purchase a bin during normal working hours, you can call 724-744-2171 to make arrangements to have a bin dropped off at your residence. Residents should also be advised that if their recycling bins are too small to hold the additional items, they may either purchase additional bins at the municipal building or they may utilize another container provided that the container is clearly and prominently labeled as “RECYCLING.”

Remember that all households, businesses, churches, schools and institutions are required to recycle! Note that businesses, churches, schools and institutions cannot participate in curbside recycling, but are nonetheless required to make arrangements for their recycling pickup or disposal.

Item	What is Collected	What is Not Collected	Preparation
Glass	Clear, green and brown bottles and jars	Window or plate glass, light bulbs, crystal, dinnerware, ceramics, Pyrex, drinking glasses, mirrors	Remove all lids and metal rings and dispose of in the trash. Rinse the jar or bottle to remove any food. Place the item in your township recycling bin for curbside pickup. Do not break the glass!
Metal (tin, steel, aluminum)	Aluminum beverage cans; any food or metal container such as for vegetables, fruit, soup or juice, foil trays	Foil, aluminum lawn chairs, aerosol cans, oil cans, paint cans, metal 5-gallon buckets	Drain and rinse the container. Crush the can to save space (optional). Place the item in your township recycling bin for curbside pickup.
Plastic (any number in recycling symbol 1, 2, 3, etc.)	Soft drink bottles; peanut butter jars; bottles for toiletries, laundry detergent, bleaches, fabric softeners, milk, water or juice	Containers for automotive additives, antifreeze and motor oil; Styrofoam containers, packing peanuts, nylon packing straps, plastic 5-gallon buckets, plastic dinnerware or drinking glasses	Remove lids or caps and place in the regular trash. Rinse, flatten (optional), and place them in your recycling bin for curbside pickup.
Paper (new starting 1/1/11)	Newspaper, magazines, catalogues, and cardboard		Cut and flatten, then place the items in your recycling bin for curbside pickup.

Drop-Off Recycling for Residents, Businesses, Churches, Schools, and Institutions

For residences, curbside recycling pickup is handled by the township refuse hauler Waste Management, who collects recyclable items on the same day as the trash pickup.

Residents east of the turnpike alternate recycling weeks with residents west of the turnpike with the following exception:

If you have questions about when your recyclables are picked up, please check with Penn Township (724-744-2171) or Waste Management (800-458-4090) regarding specific locations.

Important Note for Businesses/Organizations
Businesses, churches, schools, etc. are reminded that they are required to recycle, but they must make their own arrangements for pickup of their recyclable materials, or they may drop them off at Valley Landfill.

* Waste Management observes Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years Day, Memorial Day, the 4th of July, and Labor Day as holidays. When a holiday falls during the week of your recycling pickup before the collection day, your recyclable items (and trash) will be picked up one day later.

Penn Township will conduct a spring and fall leaf and yard waste clean up for any residents, businesses, churches, institutions, etc.

Residents, businesses, churches, and institutions are reminded that they always have the option of dropping off leaves and yard waste into the free bin at Valley Landfill designed for composting. (Landscape businesses are not included for free drop off privileges.)

REMEMBER! No one, neither residents nor businesses, is permitted to burn leaves in Penn Township. Instead the following options are available:

Option 1 – Mulch & Compost: This is the preferred method as it returns nutrients to the soil by mulching and composting the leaves, brush, or other yard waste. Running over leaves with a mulching lawn mower reduces the leaves to shreds that decompose and fertilize your lawn.

Option 2 – Take Bagged Leaves and Yard Waste to Valley Landfill: Township residents and businesses (not landscaping companies) may take leaves in paper (not plastic) biodegradable bags and loose brush and twigs to Valley Landfill themselves between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. on weekdays and 7:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. on Saturdays; there is no charge. If leaves are in paper biodegradable bags, they may be left in the bags but if they are in any kind of plastic bags whatsoever, they must be dumped from the bags and the bags removed.

In the fall of the year, Penn Township has 35-gallon, biodegradable, paper leave bags for sale at the municipal building in Harrison City between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on weekdays at the cost of $8.50 per 10 bags ($0.85 each).

Option 3 (only available for Fall Leaf Pickup): Leaves may be Placed in Paper Biodegradable Bags for Curbside Pickup: Township residents (not including businesses) may place bags of leaves at the curbside for collection by Waste Management trucks on November 9 and December 7 and 14, 2011.

Option 4 – Rake Leaves to the Curbside for Vacuuming: Township residents, businesses, churches, schools, etc. may rake leaves to the curbside for vacuuming. The Township strives to maintain a collection schedule as appears below, but this schedule is subject to changing weather conditions. PLEASE KNOW THAT IF YOUR LEAVES ARE NOT PICKED UP DURING A SCHEDULED WEEK, THE TOWNSHIP WILL COME BACK TIME AND TIME AGAIN UNTIL ALL LEAVES ARE PICKED UP.

West of the Turnpike 2011: Pickup will be during weeks of October 3, October 17, October 31, November 7, November 21, and later if need be.

East of the Turnpike 2011: Pickup will be during the weeks of October 10, October 24, November 14, November 28, and later if need be.

Keep in mind that a very early or late frost, high winds, or heavy rains can all affect when the leaves fall, so the schedule shown for leaf vacuuming is just approximate.

Residents, businesses, churches, and institutions may all participate in the township’s Christmas Tree Recycling.

2011-2012 Details
Harrison City
Boy Scout Troop 239
Schramm's Frams and Orchards, Harrison City-Export Road
January 7 & 14, 2012, 9 am - 1 pm

Irwin
Valley Landfill, Pleasant Valley Road
December 27, 2011 through January 31, 2012
Monday through Friday 6 am - 3 pm. Closed weekends.

Level Green
Community Women's Club of Level Green
Ballfield at PTARC Building, Route 130 and Murrysville Road
December 26, 2011 through January 15, 2012.
Open drop-off.