Trash & Recycling in Lower Merion, PA (2026)
10 verified trash & recycling rules for Lower Merion, Pennsylvania, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Pickup Rules & Schedules
Lower Merion Township's Code § 82-13.1 sets the ground rules for how residential trash must be handled between and at pickups: waste must go out regularly rather than piling up, containers must be sealed and not overfilled, garbage must be drained and wrapped, and standard containers must be galvanized metal or plastic, tapered, and capped at 48 gallons and 50 pounds.
Trash Pickup Container Rules in Lower Merion
Some RestrictionsLower Merion Township Code § 82-13.1.D(2), (3), (4), H(1)
The storage of municipal waste between collection periods shall be carried out in such a manner so as to avoid the creation of a public nuisance. ... Municipal waste shall be placed for collection regularly and not be allowed to accumulate. ... To avoid littering, containers shall not be overfilled and shall be sealed with tightly fitting covers when placed for collection. ... Garbage shall be ...
Bin Placement Rules
Lower Merion Township requires municipal waste containers to sit at curbside or within five feet of the cartway, screened from street view between collection days, under Code § 82-13.1. Carts may go out no earlier than 7:00 p.m. the night before collection and must be pulled back in by 9:00 p.m. on collection day.
Trash Cart Placement Rules in Lower Merion
Some RestrictionsLower Merion Township Code § 82-13.1.D(1), E(3), G(1)
The storage of municipal waste between collection periods shall be carried out in such a manner so as to avoid the creation of a public nuisance. Containers for the storage of municipal waste shall have tight-fitting covers, which shall be kept in place at all times, and shall be placed between collection periods so as not to be visible from a street. ... Containers placed for curbside collecti...
Bulk Item Disposal
Lower Merion Township does not include bulk or nonprocessible waste in its standard curbside service. Residents must make special arrangements with the Public Works Department under Code § 82-13.1.D(10), and the Director of Public Works sets a separate disposal fee under § 82-13.1.J based on market conditions, due when the pickup is requested.
Bulk Waste Disposal Fees in Lower Merion
Some RestrictionsLower Merion Township Code § 82-13.1.D(10), J
Special arrangements shall be made with the Public Works Department for the collection of nonprocessible waste. ... Fees imposed for the disposal of nonprocessible (bulk) waste. Each person requesting the collection and/or disposal of nonprocessible waste shall be assessed a disposal fee established by the Director of Public Works based on market conditions and published on the Township website...
Recycling Requirements
Lower Merion Township runs a biweekly recyclable collection alongside weekly trash pickup, and requires recyclable commingled items placed in 32-gallon Township containers, under Section 82-13.1 of the Township Code administered by the Public Works Department.
Lower Merion Recycling Collection Program
Some RestrictionsLower Merion Township Code § 82-13.1.E
§ 82-13.1. Municipal waste collection and disposal services. ... ... E. Time of collection. (1) Municipal waste shall be collected from the various portions of the Township in accordance with a schedule approved by the Director of the Public Works Department. The schedule shall provide for a once-per-week collection of nonrecycled municipal waste and leaf waste and a biweekly collection of recy...
Holiday Pickup Schedule
Lower Merion Township suspends municipal waste collection on seven recognized holidays under Code § 82-13.1.F: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. The Director of Public Works approves the replacement schedule each time a holiday shifts a route.
Holiday Trash Schedule in Lower Merion Township
Light RestrictionsLower Merion Township Code § 82-13.1.F
Holidays. Municipal waste collections shall be suspended on the following holidays: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King, Jr., Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. The Director of the Public Works Department shall approve changes to the regular collection schedule due to the suspension of collection on holidays.
Illegal Dumping
In Lower Merion Township, transporting or disposing of municipal waste outside the Township's own collection system is unlawful and declared a public nuisance under Code § 82-8. Violators face a fine of up to $1,000 for each offense under § 82-14, with every day of continued dumping counted separately, plus injunctive relief under § 82-16.
Illegal Dumping Penalties in Lower Merion Township
Heavy RestrictionsLower Merion Township Code §§ 82-8, 82-14
(2) Transport, process, treat, transfer or dispose of, or cause to be processed, treated, transferred or disposed of, municipal waste generated within the Township except as provided for in this chapter. ... ... B. Any unlawful conduct set forth above shall constitute a public nuisance. ... Any person violating any of the provisions of this chapter shall be subject to a fine or penalty of not m...
Yard Waste Collection
Lower Merion Township collects leaf waste weekly and requires it placed at the curbline in biodegradable or paper bags, or a container no larger than 45 gallons, under Code § 82-13.1. Branches must be cut to no more than four feet and bundled to no more than 18 inches in diameter, and grass clippings go in regular refuse containers, not with leaf waste.
Yard Waste and Leaf Rules in Lower Merion
Some RestrictionsLower Merion Township Code § 82-13.1.G(3), H(4), H(5)
Leaf waste shall be placed at the curbline. ... Leaf waste must be placed in either biodegradable bags available from the Township, paper shopping bags, or nondisposable containers not exceeding a forty-five-gallon capacity. Branches may also be cut in lengths not exceeding four feet and tied in bundles not exceeding 18 inches in diameter. Garden waste shall not be allowed to protrude from cont...
Dumpster Rules
Inserted Section 308.2.3 of Lower Merion's Property Maintenance Code bars storing a dumpster unenclosed on any residential or nonresidential property and requires a Township permit and fee before one is placed, with narrow exceptions for Chapter 82 refuse containers and short-term construction debris boxes. General code violations carry a fine of up to $1,000 per day under Section 106.4.
Lower Merion Dumpster Placement and Permit Rule
Significant RestrictionsLower Merion Township Code § 92-2 (PM Code §§ 106.4, 308.2.3)
H. Section 106.4 shall provide as follows: 106.4 Penalty for violation. Any person who shall violate a provision of this code ... shall be guilty of a summary offense upon issuance of a citation and be liable upon conviction to a fine or penalty for each such offense not exceeding $1,000 ... Each day that a violation continues shall be deemed a separate offense. ... ... T. A new Section 308.2.3...
Collection Schedule
Residents who receive Township trash service in Lower Merion must use it for all their household municipal waste under Code § 82-6.C. Section 82-13.1.E sets the schedule itself: nonrecycled waste and leaf waste go out weekly, recyclables and newspaper every two weeks, and collection begins at 7:00 a.m. on a route schedule the Director of Public Works approves.
Trash Collection Schedule in Lower Merion Township
Some RestrictionsLower Merion Township Code § 82-6.C; § 82-13.1.E(1), (2)
Residents provided municipal waste collection services implemented by the Township shall be required to use such services for the collection of all municipal waste generated by their households and to separate from other municipal waste placed for collection those recyclable items set forth in regulations issued by the Lower Merion Director of Public Works, with the concurrence of the Board of ...
Recycling Rules
Lower Merion Township requires residents who receive Township trash service to separate glass, metal and plastic containers, paper and cardboard, and leaf waste from other trash. Commercial and institutional occupants must separate office paper, cans, corrugated paper and leaf waste under Township Code Section 82-6.
Lower Merion Mandatory Recycling Separation
Some RestrictionsLower Merion Township Code § 82-6.C
§ 82-6. Certain prohibitions and requirements. ... ... C. Residents provided municipal waste collection services implemented by the Township shall be required to use such services for the collection of all municipal waste generated by their households and to separate from other municipal waste placed for collection those recyclable items set forth in regulations issued by the Lower Merion Direc...
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