Trash & Recycling

Trash and Recycling

Click here for Trash & Recycling Frequently Asked Questions.

Click here for more information from Lancaster Co. Solid Waste Management Authority.

Click here for more information from Lancaster Co. Solid Waste Management Authority's Household Hazardous Waste Facility.

To view a complete list of the trash and recycling schedule go to the Public Information section.

PA Law, Act 101, Mandates Trash & Recycling Program

On August 7, 1991, pursuant to Act 101, Elizabethtown Borough started its trash and recycling program. Please see below for details of the program.

Trash and Recycling Program Services:

Curbside weekly trash collection - one 32 gallon container (bag or can) per week limit.
* Additional bags or cans require Extra Service Tags at a cost of $2.00 each.
* Extra Service Tags for refuse containers can be purchased at the Borough Office or at local distributors such as convenience and grocery stores.
* Cardboard boxes filled with trash will not be accepted. Residents must use a bag or trash can for trash disposal.
* Trash containers must be 32 gallons or less and weigh less than 40 pounds.
* Trash collection days will be a Wednesday, Thursday, Friday schedule.

Curbside recycling – For you convenience, the Borough Office will now supply, free of charge, 8" Circle Recycling Symbol Stickers to be used on containers being used for recycling that do not have the symbol already printed on them. The green recycling bins will no longer be available at the Borough Office. You may continue to use them or you may use any plastic container that has a Recycling Symbol Sticker adhered. This means you may even use a full size trash can with a lid if you choose to! 8" Circle Recycling Symbol Stickers are available to residents at the Borough Office between the hours of 7:30 am and 4:00 pm. If you are using a tub or container that does not have the symbol on it, we encourage you to stop in for your stickers.

Brandt's Farm Supply, located at 601 E High Street, Elizabethtown will now be carrying several different 32 gallon trash containers! If you purchase one of these containers for your recycling, Brandt's will give you two Recycling Symbol Stickers for that container!

Recyclable materials (glass, plastics, aluminum, steel cans, newspapers, paper, paperboard, and magazines, etc.) will be collected curbside. Simply place in your recycling container and put out beside your trash.

We also accept cardboard at the curb and will be picked up on your regular trash day, residents may put any size of cardboard out with their recycling, but it MUST be flat. It also must be easy for loaders to handle. If it will not fit in your recycling container, a stack can be placed at the curb beside your recycling container, but please bundle it so pieces don't blow away or slip when the loader picks it up. Pizza boxes, office paper and other things may be placed in your recycle bin.

Please click here to view the recycling flyer for more information.

Curbside oversized refuse collection - one oversized item collected per week.
* Simply place your oversized item curbside with your trash.
* Oversized items are items that are too big for the trash container.

Acceptable oversized items include:
Carpet (48 inches maximum length rolled and tied)
Furniture (limited to 6 feet in length and no sleeper sofas)
Mattresses
Plumbing fixtures, such as toilets and sinks
Discarded lawnmowers (gasoline and oil must be removed)
Scrap metal (48 inches maximum length)
Microwave ovens

* No items too heavy to be lifted into a truck by two people will be accepted.
* Please keep in mind that additional trash bags are not considered oversized items. Bags or cardboard boxes filled with trash are not oversized items.
* Anything that can fit in a 32-gallon trash container (bag or can), no matter how much space it utilizes in the container, is not considered an oversized item.
* Refuse exceeding the one 32-gallon container (bag or can) that is not an oversized item and not marked with an extra service tag will not be collected.
This service is being provided to assist Borough residents with disposing of refuse items of irregular size that do not fit in the regular trash container. Thank you for your cooperation.

Curbside Christmas tree collection - collected once a year on a specific date. Please remove all bags, tinsel, and decorations from the tree prior to placing the tree curbside.

Curbside leaf collections - four curbside leaf collections per year. The upcoming dates are listed in the calendar in the Public Information section.
* Leaves must be placed in biodegradable Kraft leaf bags available free to residents.

Curbside yard waste collections - In 2008 two curbside yard waste collections per year were added. The upcoming dates are listed in the calendar in the Public Information section.
* Yard waste, including grass clippings, pinecones, acorns and leaves must be placed in biodegradable Kraft leaf bags available free to residents. No sticks or branches should be included with the yard waste, there is a special collection for the woody waste.

Curbside woody waste collections - curbside collection the second Saturday of each month. Woody waste and branches should be tied with string or twine in bundles less than four feet in length or placed in a can or other container. Please keep the bundles or containers less than 40 pounds in weight. Please do NOT use the biodegradable kraft leaf bags for woody waste.

Curbside white goods and tires collection - collected twice a year on specific dates.
* White goods and appliances include clothes washers and dryers, dishwashers, freezers, refrigerators, stoves, ovens, hot water heaters, air conditioners, dehumidifiers, furnaces, water coolers and electrical heaters.
* Extra Service Tags are required for each item at a cost of $12.00 per white good / appliance and $2.00 a tire.
* These Extra Service Tags are sold at the Borough Office only.

Leaf Bag Distribution - Kraft leaf bags will be available at the Parks Building on Verdant Alley in Community Park on the dates and times listed in the calendar in the Public Information section. Kraft leaf bags are currently available free to residents while supplies last. In order to make the Kraft leaf bags available after office hours, the bags will be offered on an honor system. Please take only the number of bags you need and limit each pick up to a maximum of 25 bags. We greatly appreciate your cooperation.

Commercial Recycling
The Borough's ordinance mandates that commercial, industrial and institutional waste generators in the Borough implement recycling of certain materials. Documenting the extent of recycling enables the Borough, the Lancaster County Solid Waste Management Authority (LCSWMA) and PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to determine success in meeting waste reduction goals.

Act 101 requires municipalities and counties to track and report "post-consumer" recyclables that have been collected and marketed. Annually, the Borough requires that commercial, industrial and institutional establishments submit annual recycling reports that document the recycling of materials such as clear & colored glass, aluminum, steel cans, plastic, newsprint, office paper, corrugated cardboard and other grades of paper. This accurate documentation makes the Borough eligible for 904 Performance Grants.