Composting & Yard Waste

Composting
Home composting is an excellent way to dispose of and reuse your organic household waste products, such as vegetable scraps, lawn clippings, garden weeds, tree leaves, etc. The two most popular composting methods are 'open bin' and 'enclosed container.' Open bins may be constructed of wood, wire mesh, and/or recycled plastic materials and are open to the air on the top, with or without a roof.

Enclosed containers generally include free-standing upright containers and rotating drums. There are advantages and disadvantages to both basic methods. Composting may also be done without a formal bin or container, but may be unsightly and more difficult to manage. For best home composting results, review some of the numerous publications and websites dedicated to this interesting topic.

If you are not interested in or are unable to do home composting, Bushkill Township has a Yard Waste Program. With the exception of farmers, it is unlawful to burn yard waste as "open burning" within the Township.

Burning of paper waste and other natural materials within an enclosed and properly screened facility (e.g. burning barrel with screen over top) is legal. It is also unlawful to place yard wastes out for trash collection, whether bagged or un-bagged. Many yard waste materials which are not easily home composted or legally burned may be taken by residents to the Bushkill Township Public Works Facility located at 897 Clearfield Road and dropped-off at the designated location for disposal. NOTE: Grass clippings are not accepted, but may be taken directly by homeowners to the First Regional Compost Authority for disposal (see below for further information regarding handling of grass clippings). For additional information on the Yard Waste Program, please see the following detailed description:

Bushkill Township Yard Waste Program
Bushkill Township is pleased to offer a yard waste program to its residents through the First Regional Compost Authority. Yard wastes disposed by residents are processed and composted, and are then made available as mulch and compost to residents free of charge. The actual compost facility is located in East Allen Township, but Bushkill Township maintains a local drop-off location near the center of the Township at 897 Clearfield Road at the Township Public Works Facility. Residents may obtain a permit from the Bushkill Township Zoning Office to drop-off yard waste.

The Bushkill Township facility WILL Accept:"NO COMMINGLED MATERIAL WILL BE ACCEPTED"

• Branches (no larger than four (4) inches in diameter and five (5) feet long)
• Pinecones and pine needles
• Garden Plant Residue (free of dirt)
• Leaves
• Yard Vegetation (free of dirt)
• Christmas Trees (free of tinsel and ornaments)

The Bushkill Township facility WILL NOT ACCEPT:

• Grass clippings
• Ornamental Grasses (Cattails, rushes, sedges or restio)
• Fruits or Vegetables
• Hay or Straw
• Manure
• Plywood
• Construction Materials, Pressure treated wood, Railroad ties, Fence posts and fencing, or Telephone poles
• Sod or Soil
• Nut trees of any kind
• Tree Stumps
• Bamboo
• Large woody debris or wood chips
• Plastic or other synthetic materials
• Household waste
• Inorganic Material (Rocks, stone, brick, cinderblock concrete)
• Lumber
• Metal of any kind

Drop-off hours are Wednesday and Friday from 7am to 3pm and Saturday from 8AM to 12PM. The Yard Waste site will open to residents on Wednesday, April 3, 2024 through November 27, 2024. The Yard Waste Facility is closed on all legal holidays.

Bushkill Township residents may obtain their Yard Waste Disposal Permit at no charge from the Bushkill Township Office located at 1114 Bushkill Center Road, Monday through Friday from 8AM to 4 PM. No permit is required for pick-up of compost and mulch from the bins at the Township Maintenance Facility. Pick-up is on a 'first come, first serve' basis when materials are in stock. Quantities are limited to 2 cubic yards per residence per week.
Compost and mulch are not for commercial use.

Please remember to properly secure your yard waste materials during your travel to the drop-off site! Thank you in advance for being responsible with dropping-off only the allowable materials.

What do you do with dreadful grass clippings?
Simply, cut your grass without a bagger and let the clippings lay. Use of a mulching mower will further shred clippings into smaller pieces which decompose more quickly. Clippings are a wonderful source of nitrogen for your lawn. Not only will this save you a lot of unnecessary time and effort for disposal, but it will also save you a lot of time, money, and effort otherwise required for unnecessary fertilizing! Alternatively, you can bag and stockpile clippings on your own property in a safe location and allow them to decompose into high quality compost for use in your flower beds and gardens. Dried and raked clippings may be used very effectively for weed suppression in vegetable gardens, also while supplying valuable nitrogen and maintaining soil moisture.

A one-time application of 4-6 inches of dried clippings around plants should result in an entire season of weed-free gardening!

If you are a resident and need to dispose of grass clippings, you may do so at the First Regional Compost Authority (FRCA) located at 6701 Weaversville Road, Northampton, PA. Access the "Yardwaste Collection" tab through this website. Click here for further information.

PLEASE...Never dispose of grass clippings, leaves, or other yard wastes in local waterways or ditches! Doing so WILL kill fish and other aquatic organisms, as the organic wastes decay and use up the oxygen in the water. Ditches may not contain regular flow, but they will carry materials into waterways which do. We are fortunate to have High Quality and Exceptional Value waterways throughout our Township. Please help to keep them that way. Thank you!

Grass clippings are not accepted at the Township's Public Works Department located at 897 Clearfield Road. Most other organic yard wastes are accepted (Please see the list above for accepted material). Residents may obtain a permit from the Bushkill Township Office to drop-off yard waste. See above for more detailed information.