Mt. Laurel Township has “thrown away” the portion of its township code dealing with trash collection.
In its place, the township used its most recent meeting to enact more stringent rules to have residents place their regular, weekly trash in “proper” collection containers, in addition to requiring residents to set or remove the containers at their curbsides in a more timely manner.
As outlined in the township’s newly amended code, council has now required residents only place their waste alongside their curbs in receptacles with “tight-fitting covers.”
According to the amended code, the requirement comes as trash not placed in secure containers is “susceptible to access by wild animals and creates environmental issues when blown from its location into fields and water management control systems.”
Said receptacles must be of metal or plastic material, and must fall within a capacity between 15 gallons and 30 gallons. Of related note, residents cannot use plastic bags, paper bags and cardboard boxes as receptacles.
Receptacles must also not weigh more than 60 pounds, and receptacles cannot be filled higher than two inches from below their top.
The timing and placement of the waste receptacles was also addressed in council’s updated rules.
Residents cannot place any receptacle on any street, curb, sidewalk or ally earlier than two hours before sunset on the day prior to collection, and residents have up to 12 hours after the time of collection to remove any empty receptacles.
However, in regard to the removal of receptacles, township officials did acknowledge the township municipal offices close at 4 p.m. each day, well before 12 hours can elapse from the time of regular trash collection.
With that in mind, officials note that, logistically, residents wouldn’t have to worry about a scenario where the township’s zoning officer would be inspecting an area to determine a receptacle has been removed in a timely manner, as outlined by the ordinance, until at least the next day after collection.
As further outlined by the ordinance, residents are also required to place containers adjacent to the curb line between any sidewalk and curb line. If the sidewalk extends fully to the curb line, residents can place receptacles on the sidewalk at the curb. Any placement of containers in a roadway is prohibited.
With these new rules in place, the township’s zoning officer now has the power to send letters those who don’t comply, eventually gaining the power to issue a violation.
As noted by officials in the past, violations would require residents to appear before the judge in municipal court, who could then issue a fine until any issues were rectified, with different fines set for different violations.
For those following recent township council meetings, these new rules may not come as a surprise, as the new rules stem from the complaints of residents living along areas such as Willow Turn, Chaucer Road and Chaucer Court in Mt. Laurel’s Larchmont neighborhood.
Such residents have been speaking at Mt. Laurel Township Council meetings in recent weeks, with claims that neighbors have been known to leave trash in their front yards or even in the streets.
Residents have also claimed that certain neighbors’ recycling cans have continuously sat in front properties filled with a mix of garbage and recycling items, as collectors won’t take away the mixed waste.
In addition, residents provided council and township officials with photographs of conditions, and multiple members of council reported they had visited the area in person to confirm the situation.
Yet in response to the regulations set at council’s most recent meeting, residents spoke for and against the new rules.
Resident George Brill of Chaucer Road, who was one of the original residents to complain about the issue of trash accumulation in his neighborhood, congratulated council for its work to address the issue.
“We have a trash epidemic in my neighborhood,” Brill said. “Maybe there are other people that don’t have this, but we do.”
However, resident Pat Halbe said she was concerned about elderly residents of the township upward of 80 or 90 years old who might not generate much trash in a week, which allows them to only place small trash bags out for collection each week instead or larger containers that might be too heavy to move without assistance.
“It’s going to be a real problem for a lot of the senior communities,” Halbe said.
Also speaking was resident Denise Gamble, who said she believed the new rules were “over regulation,” as they were stricter than even the rules outlined in her homeowners association.
She also spoke against having to buy new containers with lids, as she said the lids that came attached to the containers she uses now were ripped off by trash collectors in the past.
“At one point they blew away and I don’t even have them anymore,” Gamble said. “So, in order to comply with this I would have to go out and buy new garbage cans with lids, and I guess I don’t even know how you throw away a garbage can.”
The amended code also sets or reaffirms officials rules for waste outside of regular trash collection, such as yard refuse, brush and leaves, bulk items, white goods, tires, waste from building construction/demolition/industrial waste, dumpsters and more.
