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Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!

Welcome to Franconia Township's Recycling Page! On this page you will find information pertaining to recycling requirements within the Township along with the recycling ordinance, composting agreement, leaf collection program, and other associated information. In addition, you can find recycling articles, hauler contact information, and information regarding Act 101. Franconia Township is part of the Northern Montgomery County Recycling Commission. This commission is made up of a number of municipalities who work through a consultant to ensure compliance with the requirements of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)'s Act 101. Performance Grants (904) are received to carry out the requirements of this Act and the consultant is responsible to file the paperwork on the member municipalities' behalf in order to ensure receipt of grant funding.

Recycling is Required

Municipal and state regulations require that residents, commercial establishments and non-residential establishments recycle all recyclable materials. Commonly recycled materials included:

  • Paper - newspaper, office/copy paper, glossy paper, color paper, cardboard, junk mail, phone books, cereal/cracker boxes
  • Plastic - bottles and jugs No. 1-7  (Please contact your local trash hauler to determine what numbers they recycle.)
  • Glass - clear, green and brown containers
  • Metal - aluminum, steel, tin, and bi-metal cans and containers

You should check with your hauler for a complete list of acceptable recyclable materials.

Contaminated Recycle Materials

Contaminated recycling materials cannot be recycled and usually end of going to a landfill. Here is a list of contaminants that make recycle non-recyclable:

  1. Plastic Bags: Do not place your recycle materials in a plastic bag. Plastic bags cannot be recycled. The recycler will either waste time removing the plastic bag or worst, discard the bang and its contents and send it to a landfill.
  2. Food Wastes: Uncleaned containers with leftover food wastes cannot be recycled. Containers contaminated with food wastes will be sent to a landfill. You need to wash food containers and remove all of the food before placing the containers into your recycle bin.
  3. Bright Colored Paper: In general, bright colored paper should not be recycled.
  4. Frozen Food Containers: The coating on frozen food containers make them non-recyclable.
  5. Shredded Paper: Shredded paper should not be placed in your recycle bin.
  6. Caps and Tops to Bottles, Jars and Containers: Caps and tops are not recyclable; throw these in the trash, not the recycle bin.

We all want to maximize our recycling efforts, but we need to recycle the correct materials in the correct manner. Otherwise, we mess up the recycling facility and much of our "recycled waste" ends up in a landfill. You should check with your hauler if you have any questions about what materials can be recycled

Act 101

The full text of Act 101, which dictates recycling within Franconia Township, can be found at http://www.pacode.com/secure/data/025/chapter272/s272.423.html

The requirement for public information and education is as follows:

§ 272.423. Public information and education.

(a) A municipality subject to this subchapter shall establish a comprehensive and sustained public information and education program concerning recycling program features and requirements. As part of this program, a municipality shall, at least 30 days prior to the initiation of the recycling program and at least once every 6 months thereafter, notify persons occupying residential, commercial, institutional and municipal premises within its boundaries of the requirements of the ordinance. This notice shall include an explanation of how the system will operate, the dates of collection, and responsibilities of persons within the municipality and incentives and penalties.

(b) The governing body of a municipality may place an advertisement in a newspaper circulating in the municipality, post a notice in a public place where public notices are customarily posted, including a notice with other official notifications periodically mailed to residential taxpayers, or utilize a combination of the foregoing.

Curbside Recycling- Franconia Township

Free rectangular recycling bins and bio degradable paper bags are available to residents at the Township building. The bin is to be used for the mandatory curbside recycling of clear, green, and brown glass, aluminum cans and newspaper. The bags are to be used for the mandatory curbside collection of leaf and yard waste. The designated materials will be collected by the same private hauler who currently collects your trash. The Township does not provide any sanitation/waste collection of any sort within the municipality. All collection is handled privately through individual haulers. However, you are not required to contact your private hauler to provide curbside recycling service. Simply place your container curbside for collection. Please contact your hauler if you have any questions about recyclable materials.

What can you recycle curbside in Franconia Township if you are a resident?

List of materials:

  • Glass: clear, green, brown
  • Cans: aluminum, tin, steel, bi-metal
  • Plastics: #1 PET and #2 HDPE are the most commonly recycled plastics; however, there are more numbers. Please contact your local trash hauler to determine what numbers they recycle.
  • Cartons: food and beverage cartons such as milk, juice, broth, etc.
  • Newspaper: color, glossy print, junk mail, magazines, phone books, office/copy paper, and cereal/cracker boxes. 
  • steel cans, bimetallic cans, No. 1 PET plastics and No. 2 HDPE plastics. 
  • Leaf and yard waste

Leaf and yard waste can be dropped off at the Barnside Composting Center located at:

991 Haldeman Road
Schwenksville, PA 19743
610-329-6471

Hours of Operation:

March-September - M-F 7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; Saturday - 8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. (March hours could vary so call ahead)
October-November -  M-F 7:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m.; Saturday - 8:00 a.m.- 2:00 p.m. or call ahead
Dec 1-February -  M-F 7:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m. or call ahead; Saturday 8:00 a.m.-Noon, call to verify

Closed on Sunday

For additional information visit http://www.barnsidefarm.com

Non-residential Recycling:

Commercial and non-residential establishments are also required to recycle within Franconia Township. These establishments are to separate and recycle the following:

List of Materials:

  • Corrugated paper
  • High-grade office paper
  • Aluminum cans
  • Yard waste

Hospitality establishments, which include restaurants and taverns, shall be required to separate and recycle the following:

List of Materials

  • Cardboard
  • Office paper
  • Newspaper (including newspaper inserts, junk mail and telephone books)
  • Aluminum cans, steel cans, bimetallic cans
  • Plastic- #1 PET; and #2 HDPE plastic (Please contact your local trash hauler to determine what numbers they recycle.)

Private Haulers Operating within Franconia Township Contact Information: 

Republic Services of Telford (Residential)
731 E Reliance Rd., Telford, PA 18969
215-723-0400

Whitetail Disposal (Residential)
2473 Big Road
Gilbertsville, PA 19525
610-754-0103

Waste Management (Residential)
300 Progress Drive
Telford, PA 18969
800-328-1717

Waste Management (Commercial Service)
1000 Hagey Road
Souderton, PA 18964
215-723-7723

Recycling services for both normal materials and leaf/yard waste are to be provided by any private hauler operating within Franconia Township. 

** Free leaf bags (10 per visit) are available for residents at the Township Office.  Please contact your trash hauler to determine their guidelines for pick up of full bags.

Northern Montgomery County Recycling Commission: NMCRC

Franconia Township is a member of the Northern Montgomery Recycling Commission. Our Recycling Coordinator is Jeff Dietrich. Please visit the NMCRC website for additional recycling information at http://www.northmontcorecycle.com. Or contact the NMCRC at:

Northern Montgomery County Recycling Commission
c/o F.X. Browne, Inc.
1101 S. Broad Street
Lansdale, PA 19446
800-220-2022

Please visit the NMCRC to report any issues you encounter with any haulers operating within Franconia Township. If you click on the website link above and go to the "Contact" page you will find the various recycling complaint forms that can be completed and submitted to the NMCRC for proper handling.

Current Events & Recycling News:

Recycling is Required

Municipal and state regulations require that residents, commercial establishments and non-residential establishments recycle all recyclable materials.  Commonly recycled materials include:

  • Paper - newspaper, office/copy paper, glossy paper, color paper, cardboard, junk mail, phone books, cereal/cracker boxes
  • Plastic - bottles and jugs No. 1-7 (Please contact your local trash hauler to determine what numbers they recycle.)
  • Glass - clear, green and brown containers
  • Metal - aluminum, steel, tin, and bimetal cans and containers

You should check with your hauler for a complete list of acceptable recyclable materials.

Recycling Electronic Devices: It's the Law

The Pennsylvania Covered Device Recycling Act (CDRA) requires that consumers and businesses must recycle covered electronics such as computers, computer monitors, laptops, televisions, tablets, and computer peripherals (printers, keyboards, mouse devices, etc.) as of January 24, 2013. Consumers and businesses will no longer be able to throw away their covered electronic devices with their curbside trash.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, electronic waste is the fastest growing source of municipal solid waste. Recycling will reduce our need for landfills and incineration. Many electronic devices contain valuable metals such as gold, silver and platinum and base metals like copper, iron and aluminum that can be separated and reused in new products.

Haulers will no longer take covered electronic devices.  Due to the difficulty of complying with State regulations, electronic recycling events are rarely sponsored.  Manufacturers are required to provide for the collection of covered electronic devices and must work with an electronics recycler that is properly permitted and certified to handle and process electronic waste. Although State law requires electronics manufacturers to offer recycling opportunities for TVs and computers, those manufacturers are no longer sponsoring County recycling collections in the Southeastern Pennsylvania region.  Concern about the lack of disposal options for TVs and computers should be directed to the appropriate State Representative and Senator.

Consumers can find more information on registered manufacturers and where to recycle their covered devices at www.dep.state.pa.us, or through the DEP Recycling Hotline at 1-800-346-4242. To find firms that accept and recycle electronic devices in your area, go to www.1800recycling.com.