Lower Saucon Township residents who have been busy cleaning up their yards this spring won’t have to wait much longer before they can dispose of the debris they’ve collected.
Township officials announced Friday that the new Lower Saucon Township yard waste facility at 2150 Polk Valley Road will open to the public on Friday, April 21.
The site of the facility is a vacant, township-owned property across from the Saucon Valley School District stadium, near the intersection of Polk Valley and Reservoir roads.
According to information published on the township website, leaves, small brush, hedge trimmings, garden plant residue and Christmas trees without tinsel will be accepted for dropoff at the center, as long as they are from a property in Lower Saucon Township. Grass clippings, sod, tree stumps and commercial yard waste will not be accepted.
Landscaping contractors hired by a resident of Lower Saucon Township may drop off yard waste, leaves and brush only with a signed invoice and/or the resident’s ID card.
The new yard waste facility will be open to township residents on Fridays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. through Friday, Nov. 17, and residents who plan to visit should display their current Lower Saucon Township compost center ID card (orange) when entering the facility. Those who need a replacement ID card or would like to apply for a new one should email rm*******@lo*****************.org, fax to 610-867-3580 or send via postal mail (to Lower Saucon Township, Attn: Receptionist, 3700 Old Philadelphia Pike, Bethlehem, PA 18015) a copy of their driver’s license for proof of address and their phone number. Replacement or new ID cards can be picked up at Town Hall during regular business hours.
Although compost won’t be available at the new facility, the township shared a flyer about a “Mulch Madness” event being sponsored by First Regional Compost Authority that will be held Friday, April 21 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday, April 22 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 6701 Weaversville Road, Northampton, Pa.
According to the flyer, there is no residency requirement for the event. There is a $10 admission charge per day, with unlimited visits permitted each day with a hand stamp.
For more information about the compost event, refer to the flyer, which is available on the township’s website.
Lower Saucon Township and Hellertown borough previously jointly operated a yard waste dropoff/compost center at 2011 Springtown Hill Road. Last year, after the two municipalities had a falling out over support for the Hellertown Area Library, borough officials severed the agreement that allowed township residents to use the facility.
A lawsuit related to the cancellation of the agreement is pending.
Meanwhile, as the property owner and holder of its DEP permit, the borough continues to operate the Saucon Valley Compost Center.
Officials have announced that it will open to borough residents Saturday, April 22, and then be open the first and third Friday and Saturday of the month from May through August. The hours of operation on those days will be from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. From September through November, the compost center will be open on the third Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
More information about the Saucon Valley Compost Center’s new hours as well as rules and regulations may be found on the Hellertown borough website.
Above, a chain hangs across the entrance to the new Lower Saucon Township yard waste facility on Polk Valley Road. The facility will open to township residents for the first time on Friday, April 21. Thereafter, it will be open Fridays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. through Nov. 17, 2023.
