43
Curbside recycling now offered in rural areas of Lawrence County
The recycling will be free for now thanks to a $100,000 state DEP grant.
NEW CASTLE, Pa. — Curbside recycling is available for the first time in rural areas of Lawrence County.
Jerry Zona, director of Lawrence County’s Recycling/Solid Waste Department, said that the 95- gallon wheeled carts are being provided free to residents thanks to a $100,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. The carts cost about $65 apiece and will be emptied once a month.
The carts are being distributed in the following communities: Ellport, Enon Valley, New Beaver, Wampum and Wilmington boroughs and Hickory, Little Beaver, Mahoning, North Beaver, Perry, Plain Grove, Pulaski, Scott, Slippery Rock, Washington, Wayne and Wilmington townships.
Until now, only the mandated communities of New Castle, Ellwood City, and Shenango, Union and Neshannock townships had curbside recycling. Mandated communities have a population greater than 5,000 or meet a population-density requirement.
Only customers of Tri-County Industries and Valley Waste can participate in the program. Other private haulers declined to participate at this time. There will be no additional cost for the pickup at this time, Zona said.
Recyclables can be mixed in the carts. Both Tri-County and Valley will take aluminum, steel and bimetal cans, glass jars and bottles, newspapers, magazines, corrugated cardboard, office paper and junk mail. In addition, Tri-County will take all plastic bottles, and Valley will take only No. 1 and No. 2 plastic bottles.
Assistant Recycling Director Lorraine Ranchod said the carts are being distributed to customers by the haulers except for New Wilmington, where the borough is doing distribution.
Zona said the county recycles about 31 percent to 35 percent of the waste residents and businesses generate, and that the state’s goal is 35 percent.
For more information, call Lawrence County Recycling/Solid Waste at (724) 658-6925 or e-mail at recycling@co.lawrence.pa.us. The department’s Web site is co.lawrence.pa.us/recycling.