Lower Merion, PA Trash & Recycling: Bulk Item Disposal (2026)

Nonprocessible waste, the Township's term for bulky items such as furniture and large appliances that cannot go through its regular collection contract, is handled outside the standard curbside schedule. Section 82-13.1.D(10) requires residents to make special arrangements with the Public Works Department before such items are picked up rather than simply setting them at the curb on a normal collection day. Section 82-13.1.J then imposes a disposal fee on anyone requesting collection or disposal of nonprocessible waste. The fee itself is not fixed in the Code; instead the Director of Public Works sets it based on current market conditions and publishes the rate on the Township website, so the amount can move with disposal costs.

The fee is due and payable at the time the collection request is made, meaning residents pay up front rather than being billed afterward with their regular solid waste charge. This differs from the flat solid waste fee that covers ordinary weekly collection under § 82-13.1.K, which residential property owners pay through Township billing regardless of how much routine waste they set out. Because bulk pickup requires an advance arrangement and a separate market-based fee, residents who simply leave furniture or appliances at the curb without contacting Public Works risk having it left uncollected, since § 82-13.1.C(2) lets the Township refuse to collect any waste maintained, stored or placed for collection in violation of the chapter's provisions.