Franklin Township, PA Trash & Recycling: Pickup Rules & Schedules (2026)

Chapter 20, Part 1 of the Franklin Township Code, the Refuse Ordinance adopted by Ord. 89-08B on December 18, 1989, splits the pickup process across two operative sections. Section 20-104, Transportation, Vehicles and Equipment, sets the standard for how refuse moves once it leaves a property: all refuse must be transported in a manner that prevents public health hazards, safety hazards and nuisances, and collection personnel operating or assigned to collection vehicles are made responsible for the immediate cleanup and removal of any refuse or garbage spilled or scattered during the collection run.

That duty falls on the hauler's crew, not the resident, if trash blows or spills during a stop. Section 20-106, Compliance With Applicable Laws, then layers on every applicable Township and Commonwealth law governing the collection, transportation, storage or disposal of solid waste, and it expressly preserves whatever recycling-separation mandate exists now or is enacted later, so a hauler cannot treat the Refuse Ordinance as the ceiling on its obligations. Together the two sections mean pickup crews must run clean routes and follow state and township law on the side, while residents rely on § 20-103's separate approved-facility rule for where that material ultimately goes.

Violations of either section carry the same Part 1 penalty structure found at § 20-105: prosecution before a Magisterial District Judge as a summary offense, a fine of $25 to $1,000 plus costs, and up to 90 days' imprisonment for unpaid fines and costs, with each day of a continuing violation counted separately.