Lower Merion, PA Trash & Recycling: Collection Schedule (2026)

Lower Merion Township runs its own municipal waste collection service rather than leaving it to private haulers for eligible residential properties, and § 82-6.C makes use of that service mandatory: any resident provided with Township collection must use it for all the municipal waste generated by their household, and must separate out the recyclable items the Director of Public Works designates with the Board of Commissioners' concurrence. Eligibility itself is limited under § 82-13.1.B to single-family homes, two-family homes, and apartment buildings of four units or fewer, or up to 50 units by request; larger apartment complexes and all commercial, institutional and industrial properties are not eligible for Township collection and must arrange private service.

For those on the Township system, § 82-13.1.E(1) sets the collection frequency: a schedule approved by the Director of the Public Works Department that runs nonrecycled municipal waste and leaf waste once a week and recyclable commingled items and newspaper every two weeks. Section 82-13.1.E(2) fixes the daily start time at 7:00 a.m., local time, across all routes. The Director of Public Works can adjust the specific days and routes within that framework, and § 82-13.1.D(12) lets the Director, with the Board's concurrence, set additional rules on the manner, days and timing of both recycled and nonrecycled collection.

Residents who are not on the Township system still must separate recyclables themselves under § 82-6.D, including leaf waste and at least three other listed recyclable categories.