Lower Paxton, PA Trash & Recycling: Pickup Rules & Schedules (2026)

Article II of Chapter 165, the Lower Paxton Township Municipal Solid Waste and Recycling Ordinance, governs pickup. Under § 165-12, all municipal waste and recyclables from residential properties must be placed in containers for collection by an authorized collector or as provided by the Township directly or through exclusive contract. Mobile containers are provided to each residential dwelling unit, and the 32/35, 64/65 and 95/96-gallon carts must hold all municipal waste and recyclables for the dwelling unit. No bag can be set out as a standalone pick-up item, the same containers are provided for required recycling, and no additional containers can be placed curbside.

Who picks up is also regulated. It is unlawful for anyone other than a person or corporation authorized by license or contract with the Township to collect or transport municipal waste as a regular hauling business. If the Township enters an exclusive contract for residential collection, it will not issue a license to any other private hauler for residential waste. Licenses run on a calendar-year basis, and the Township can revoke one at any time for just cause. Commercial and institutional properties use the same type of containers, except where their volume calls for special bulk containers arranged with the collector and approved by the Township.

Recycling follows its own rules in § 165-14. The Township or its authorized agent sets regulations on the manner, days and time of collection of recyclable materials. At residential units the mandatory list is newspapers, glass, aluminum and steel cans, plastic bottles and jugs, and leaf waste. Recyclables must be placed at the curb separated from solid waste, and disposing of a listed recyclable commingled with other solid waste is unlawful unless the material is so contaminated that it is unacceptable for recycling. Once placed at the curb, recyclables become the property of the Township or its contractor, so collection by an unauthorized person is a separate violation each time.

Section 165-13 requires every owner or occupant to pay a service fee for collection to a licensed hauler, the exclusive contractor or the Township, and service can be discontinued for nonpayment. Discontinuance does not excuse the resident from the rest of the article.