Ambler Borough

Recycling

Welcome!  Recycling is required in Ambler Borough.  On this page you will find the following information: recycling requirements, residential curbside recycling, what materials you can recycle, leaf collection program, hauler contact information, commercial and non-residential recycling, electronic device recycling, and composting.  This page also contains recycling facts and a link to our recycling ordinance.

Recycling Education Program

Educating the public about recycling is an important element of our recycling program and is required by Pennsylvania Act 101, the Municipal Waste Planning, Recycling and Waste Reduction Act.  Our recycling program consists of two elements: publishing recycling requirements and information on this website, and sending out an educational publication to all residents at least once per year.

Residential Curbside Recycling

Ambler Borough requires that residents recycle and offers a recycling program called single-stream, which makes it easier than ever to recycle. Everything that your household recycles will now go in the same container.  No need to separate your papers, cardboard and plastics, etc.  J.P. Mascaro & Sons collects recycling one (1) time per week, on Wednesdays.  All recycling should be placed curbside, no later than 6 AM the day of pickup.  Keep recyclables covered. Recyclables are to be clean or rinsed and should be placed in the blue roll cart provided by the Borough. All recyclables can be mixed together and placed in this cart, NO SORTING IS NEEDED. Single-stream recycling will be collected by a compaction truck. Only recyclables will be on this truck on your recycling day.  It cannot collect non-recyclable items. For questions or problems, call J.P. Mascaro & Sons at 1-800-432-1616 during their hours of operation, Monday thru Friday from 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM or Saturday, from 8:30 AM to 12:00 PM, or see http://www.jpmascaro.com/

Commonly Recycled Materials

  • Paper & Cardboard – newspaper, magazines, catalogs and envelopes, paperback books, clean pizza boxes, office and school papers, copy paper, glossy paper, color paper, cardboard, inserts, junk mail, phone books, box board (cereal/cake/cracker boxes), paper egg cartons, paper bags
  • Plastic – bottles and jugs No. 1-7
  • Glass – empty glass jars and bottles, clear, green and brown containers
  • Metal – aluminum (cans and clean foil), steel (empty aerosol cans), tin, and bimetal food containers
  • Cartons – food and beverage cartons such as milk, juice, soup, broth, etc.

DO NOT PUT THE FOLLOWING IN THIS CART: garbage, books, plastic bags, food waste and cardboard and paper towels contaminated with food, polystyrene cups or plates, Styrofoam packaging, bubble wrap, tissue or paper towels, milk or juice, wax paper, cartons, metallic or coated paper, waxed boxes, books and toys, motor oil or hazardous chemical containers, plastic toys or sporting goods, plastics without #1-#7 labeling, electronics or batteries, compact discs or DVDs, foam egg cartons or ice cream containers, ceramics, dishes, coffee cups, drinking glasses, glass oven ware, Pyrex, Vision Ware, window glass, mirrors, light bulbs, hangers, scrap metal or yard waste.

What Can I Recycle?

Recyclables and How to Prepare Them

Recycling Tips

Yard Waste

  • J.P. Mascaro & Sons collects yard waste on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of every month. All yard waste should be placed curbside, no later than 6 AM the day of pickup.  For questions, see https://boroughofambler.com/departments/trash-recycling-yard-waste/ or call 1-800-432-1616.  Yard waste is to be stored on your property until scheduled pickup.  It shall be collected two (2) times per month on the first and third Tuesday of every month and placed in paper bags or unlined trash cans or may be bundled with twine.  No plastic bags.  Yard waste includes leaves, branches & branch materials, twig material, vine and hedge trimmings.  No grass clippings.
  • Residents may also bring yard waste to the Barnside Farm Compost Facility located at 991 Haldeman Rd., Schwenksville. 610-287-8880.
  • Christmas Tree Pick Up – Christmas trees are to be placed curbside in January for regular Yard Waste pickup – pickup can be either the first or third Tuesday of the month. Please place your tree at the curb by early morning on the scheduled date in January.  Trees may not be placed in plastic tree bags.

*Ambler Borough does NOT allow burning of yard waste.

Residential Drop-Off Recycling

Montgomery County Recycling Events

Montgomery County offers recycling events throughout the year for materials that aren’t commonly collected in curbside recycling.  Questions can be directed to the Montgomery County Recycling hotline at 610-278-3618 or email recycling@montcopa.org.

Paper Retriever Recycling (Gold Medal Environmental)

You can go green and raise money for your school or nonprofit organization with a paper recycling program called Paper Retriever.  It’s free and easy to get started.  Check out their webpage for more information: http://www.paperretriever.com/

Residents can also drop off paper recycling at current Paper Retriever bin locations.  To find a bin closest to you click here: http://paperretriever.com/binlocator/index.html

Yard Waste

The Barnside Farm Compost Facility offers leaf and yard waste drop-off.  For more information visit their website at: http://www.barnsidefarm.com/

For more recycling drop-off locations check out the DEP Drop-Off Locator.

Commercial and Non-Residential Recycling

Commercial and non-residential establishments are required to recycle in Ambler Borough.  The following lists include haulers operating within the Borough as well as commonly accepted materials.

Haulers

Commonly Recycled Materials

  • Paper & Cardboard – newspaper, magazines, catalogs and envelopes, paperback books, clean pizza boxes, office and school papers, copy paper, glossy paper, color paper, cardboard, inserts, junk mail, phone books, box board (cereal/cake/cracker boxes), paper egg cartons, paper bags
  • Plastic – bottles and jugs No. 1-7
  • Glass – empty glass jars and bottles, clear, green and brown containers
  • Metal – aluminum (cans and clean foil), steel (empty aerosol cans), tin, and bimetal food containers

Montgomery County Recycling Programs

Montgomery County has the following recycling programs:

  • Household Hazardous Waste Collection Program
  • Campaign Sign Recycling Program
  • Paper Shredding Program
  • Tire Collection Program

Click here for a list of SE PA Regional Household Hazardous Waste Events open to residents of Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery Counties and Philadelphia, regardless of the host county.

Click here for information on each recycling program.

Click here for a list of SE PA Regional Household Hazardous Waste Events open to residents of Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery Counties and Philadelphia, regardless of the host county.

For information on recycling specific items, see Montgomery County’s Recycling Guide: Recycling Items from A-Z.

Recycling Electronic Devices

The Borough of Ambler does not accept hazardous waste materials. No dumping is allowed. The Covered Device Recycling Act (Act 108, CDRA) establishes requirements for consumers and manufacturers to recycle covered electronic devices including computers, televisions, tablets, and cell phones. Through this Act the Pennsylvania General Assembly aims to greatly reduce what has become one of the fastest waste contributors today. See Ambler Borough’s tips for recycling of electronic devices.  Ambler

Unfortunately, Montgomery County is currently unable to hold electronics collection events. 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 county collection events should be directed to the appropriate State Representative and Senator. An amendment to the state electronics recycling law, called the Covered Device Recycling Act, is needed to ensure the availability of recycling outlets. Refer to the Montgomery County website for a list of hazardous waste and electronic waste collection sites and other County related recycling news. Some retailers accept certain e-waste.

Composting

Composting offers many benefits from enriching soils to economic benefits. Using proper composting techniques you can remediate soils that have been contaminated or enhance nutrients while suppressing diseases and pests. Soil enhanced with compost also requires less water and eliminates the need for harmful pesticides and fertilizers.  Click for helpful tips and information on composting.

Recycling Facts and Tips

Waste Facts

  • The average person in Pennsylvania generates 4.8 pounds of solid waste per day or 1,752 pounds per year!! (Pennsylvania Resource Council)
  • 3% of America’s energy is used for producing packaging (PA DEP).
  • One pound of recycled steel saves 5.450 BTU’s of energy or 26 hours of a 60-watt bulb (PA DEP).
  • Americans throw away enough paper every year to build a 12 feet high wall from Los Angeles to New York (Environmental Defense).

Recycling Tips / Hints

  • Wash all bottles and container, this prevents contamination and keeps insects away.
  • Throw the caps away.
  • Put your newspapers in a paper bag or tie them in bundles.
  • Do not place broken glass in recycling.
  • Be sure what your trash hauler accepts. Contact their customer service department and ask them to send you information about what they recycle.

Recycled Glass
Recycled glass can be used to make new glass bottles and jars, insulation, and construction materials, such as road aggregate.  Artisans use recycled glass for everything from jewelry to stained glass to vases.  Recycled glass can be used forever.

When we recycle one ton of glass, we save one ton of resources. Not only do we save resources by recycling glass, we reduce air pollution. Producing one ton of new glass creates 27.8 pounds of air pollution, while processing recycled glass produces 14-20% less air pollution. In addition, glass can be recycled forever!! (Environmental Systems of America, Inc.)

Recycled Metals
Did you know? It takes 500 years for an aluminum can to decompose.  The most valuable of household recycled materials, aluminum, steel, and bimetal materials, are collected as part of the residential recycling program.
One recycled can saves enough electricity to light a 100-watt bulb for 3.5 hours (PA DEP). Using recycled aluminum saves 80% of the total energy consumed when aluminum is produced from scratch (Thoreau Center for Sustainability).

Steel and bimetals can also be efficiently recycled into new products such as canned products.  Some steel from disposed vehicles has been used to make products for new vehicles. There are a number of ways that metal can be recycled and reused; it just takes a little creativity.

Recycled Paper
It can take up to five years for newspaper to decompose. What do you think – is newspaper worth recycling? Conservation is the main benefit of recycling all materials. One ton of paper saves 17 trees, 6,953 gallons of water, 463 gallons of oil, 587 pounds of air pollution, 9 cubic yards of landfill space, and 4,077 Kilowatt hours of energy (Environmental Systems of America, Inc.).

For many people recycled paper is used every day.  Recycled paper is used for toilet paper, paper towels, newspaper, and office paper.

In addition to household products, recycled paper is used for construction materials, such as insulation, wallboard, flooring, padding, and more. Recycled paper is also repulped and molded into egg cartons, fruit trays, and flower pots.

Recycled Plastic There are several types of plastic. The most commonly recycled plastics are high density polyethylene (HDPE) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET or PETE). HDPE (plastic marked with a “2”) is the colored or opaque plastic usually used for things like laundry detergent bottles and milk jugs. PET (plastic marked with a “1”) is the clear plastic usually used for things like soda bottles and cleaning products.

Other plastics are recycled less frequently, such as the plastic used for grocery bags.

Earth-Wise Shopping
To maintain recycling programs, people need to purchase items made of recycled products. By purchasing recycled products, you are “closing the loop”. Not only do you save energy and resources, but you also promote a new market.

Buying in bulk and with less packaging is one way to reduce waste. Watch out for bulk items that have individually wrapped items inside; buying these products does not help reduce waste.

Avoid buying one-time use products, such as paper plates, plastic forks, etc.

Consider using canvas bags or similar reusable bags when shopping. Buy products that are reusable. It can take many years for a plastic bag to decompose.

You can also bring your used plastic or paper bags back to the grocery store so they can be used a few more times before they go into the trash or into recycling boxes.

For more information about recycled products, check out the Pennsylvania Resource Council’s website, or call 1-800-GO-TO-PRC.

Rules and Regulations

The goals of the Borough of Ambler Recycling Ordinance are to promote, require and regulate recycling in order to protect the health, safety and welfare of residents.

Statutes and Regulations from the Department of Environmental Protection website can be found here.

Community Events

Recycling containers shall be provided at all community events attended by 200 or more people.  The disposal of recyclable materials collected at such events shall be in accordance with the provisions of the municipal ordinance.

Illegal Dumping and Littering

Pennsylvania Environmental Protection Code, Title 25 regulations prohibit littering and illegal dumping.  It is unlawful for anyone to dispose of waste anywhere other than to a facility that has a DEP permit to operate.  It prohibits the dumping of waste on public or private property that is not licensed or permitted to receive waste.  It prohibits dumping waste into sewers or waterways.

Section 904 Recycling Grant

The Pennsylvania DEP Recycling Performance Grant provides funding to municipalities with recycling programs to help build and expand their recycling programs.  The Performance Grant is based on the success of the recycling efforts in the Borough of Ambler, therefore the award can increase as the Residential and Commercial recycling rate grows.

For more information on the DEP Section 904 Recycling Grant click here.

More resources

For more information about recycling in Ambler Borough, visit the Trash, Recycling & Yard Waste page of their website.