One corner of a township-owned property on Polk Valley Road will become the Lower Saucon Yard Waste Facility, which is expected to open in late April. The facility–which will be across from the Saucon Valley School District Stadium–will only be for the collection of municipal yard waste, which will be disposed of off-site.
Lower Saucon Township Council Wednesday approved a plan to convert part of a township-owned property on Polk Valley Road to a yard waste collection facility for residents’ use.
The so-called Townsend property consists of vacant land and is located opposite the Saucon Valley School District Stadium.
In contrast to the Saucon Valley Compost Center on Springtown Hill Road many residents previously used, the new facility will only be for collecting yard waste that is dropped off, which township manager Mark Hudson said will then be taken off-site for final disposal.
Hudson told council that after the yard waste is collected in dumpsters it will be taken to Victory Gardens–a mulch supplier located near Quakertown–for composting.
No DEP permit is required to operate such a facility, township officials said, because the materials will be removed from the site.
Township public works staff will operate the facility, which is being developed because the Saucon Valley Compost Center is no longer open to township residents.
Due to a disagreement that began over a library services agreement, borough officials severed agreements with the township involving the compost center and the Hellertown Pool last year. There is also a lawsuit brought by the borough against the township currently pending in the Northampton County Court of Common Pleas.
Although the compost center is physically located in the township the property is owned by the Borough of Hellertown, which also holds the DEP permit to operate it.
The new Lower Saucon Yard Waste Facility will be open beginning Friday, April 21. Current plans call for it to be open Fridays and Saturdays through Nov. 17 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., although the hours of operation may be adjusted after township staff are able to evaluate usage patterns throughout the year.
Yard waste items that will be accepted include leaves (loose and in brown paper bags only), small brush up to 4 inches in diameter and no longer than 6 feet, hedge trimmings, garden plant residue and Christmas trees without tinsel. Items that will not be accepted include grass, sod, tree stumps and commercial business materials.
A diagram displayed at Wednesday’s Lower Saucon Township Council meeting shows how traffic will enter and exit the new Yard Waste Facility on Polk Valley Road. (Credit: Lower Saucon Township)
Only a small piece of the Townsend property located next to Polk Valley Road will be converted for use as a yard waste collection facility, as the above map shows. (Credit: Lower Saucon Township)
