Trash / Recycling / Waste

Trash & Recycling

Trash and recyclables are collected once a week on the same day in Pennsauken. A resident’s collection day will depend on area of town they are located. For new residents, call or email our office to find out your collection day.

Preparation of Trash

Residents may place six bags or cans of trash not exceeding 50 pounds each out each week. Cans should not exceed 32 gallons in capacity. Latex paint cans will be taken only if the lids are removed and the paint is dried out or solid. Please see how to dry out water based latex paint for more information. Prior to placing containers at the collection point, they should be drained of any accumulated water, and the resident should take all possible precautions to protect their trash from insects or other animal intrusions.

Preparation of Bulk Items

Residents can place up to two bulk items a week on their regular collection day after scheduling with the Public Works office at 856-663-0178 or email Public Works. Notification must occur by 2:00pm the business day preceding your collection day. Our staff will then come out and pick up your bulk item(s) on your scheduled collection day.

Mattresses, box springs, furniture, couches, and chairs may be placed curbside for collection on your regularly scheduled collection day, but must have a 4 ft. clearance from trash/recycling containers.

Carpet must be cut into 4 foot widths, securely rolled and tied into bundles weighing less than 50 pounds.

Wood must be cut into 4 foot lengths, securely tied into bundles weighing less than 50 pounds. Railroad ties must be cut no longer than 2 feet in length and neatly stacked. Nails or spikes must be removed or bent over to prevent injury.

Latex paint can be disposed of with regular trash, provided it is first dried out by mixing with sand or kitty litter and placed in a plastic bag in the trash cart. Please do not put dried paint cans in the trash cart without first placing them in a plastic bag.

Construction, remodeling, and building materials generated by a private contractor must be removed by the contractor and disposed of properly at an approved disposal site at their cost. This debris is not to be placed curbside for normal residential collection by the township’s waste hauler.

Construction, remodeling, and building materials generated by residents can be dropped off directly at the Pennsauken Sanitary Landfill, 9600 River Road, Pennsauken - Drop off is allowed during normal operating hours: 7 am – 3:30 pm, Monday through Friday. There is a small charge, based on the weight of your items, For additional details, contact them directly at 856-665-8787.

Plywood, wood fencing, and like items must be cut into two-foot by four-foot width and lengths. Nails must be flattened or removed. Household lumber (example: old 2”x4” lumber must be cut into 4-foot lengths and tied in bundles weighing less than 50 pounds.

Tires removed from the rim will be collected as bulk items.

Single-Stream Recycling

Municipal ordinance and State law require that all residents and business located in Pennsauken Township recycle
All recyclables should be placed in the provided yellow containers
Acceptable materials include: glass jars and bottles, aluminum cans, tin cans, plastics numbers 1 and 2, newspaper, white paper, magazines, paperback books, cardboard
Unacceptable materials include: coat hangers, pots, pans, plastics numbers 3, 4, 5, 6 AND number 7 ceramics, light bulbs, dishes, mirrors, drinking glasses, antifreeze containers, used oil containers, and syringes
Plastic bags should not be placed in your recycle container. They can be returned to your local grocery store or disposed of in your trash.

Preparation of Recyclable Materials

Pennsauken participates in a County-wide Single Stream method, where all residential recycling is collected via yellow recycling buckets, provided by Public Works. Residents can place an unlimited amount of yellow recycling buckets out for collection each week. Recycling buckets and lids are available by visiting or contacting the Public Works office.

See the two flyers below for which materials are permitted to be recycled through the yellow buckets. A common misconception is that all plastics are recyclable. While this is true, our local program only supports the recycling of #’s 1 and #2 plastic, typically found on the bottom of plastic bottles.

See the Residential Guide to Zero Sort Recycling (PDF) for a complete listing of recyclable items you may place in your bin.

Take an interactive trip through the ReCommunity facility to find out what happens to your recyclables after they are collected and view animated videos, with education station by visiting the Republic website.

New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection recycling information.

Do not place yard waste (grass clippings, leaves, branches, etc.) in the yellow recycling cans. The yellow recycling cans are only for cans, bottles, cardboard, paper, and other approved commingled recyclables.

Trash Holidays

Per Seaside Waste Services, Inc.’s contract with the Township of Pennsauken, there are only six holidays that change the trash and recycling collection schedule:

New Year's Day
Memorial Day
Independence Day
Labor Day
Thanksgiving
Christmas

When one of these six holidays fall on a weekday, collections are pushed to the next day. If the collection day impacted occurs later during the week, the schedule remains the same for the days preceding the holiday and the schedule is pushed to the next day for the remainder of the week. If any of these holidays fall on a weekend, the collection schedule does not change.

White Goods

Appliances, metal cabinets, and all other metal items are picked up by Public Works on Wednesdays after scheduling with the Public Works office at 856-663-0178 or email Public Works. Notification must occur by 2:00pm Tuesday. Lawnmowers and other gas-powered items must have gas and oil removed before pickup. Per State Law, remove the doors from refrigerators and freezers before placing them at the curb. Items must be on the curb by 7:00 am on Wednesday. Requests received after noon on Tuesday will be placed on the following week's list.

Yard Waste

All residential yard debris is collected every Wednesday by the Township’s sanitation contractor, Seaside Waste Services, Inc.

Preparation of Yard Waste

Grass clippings, leaves and small branches may be put out in cans or biodegradable bags. NO PLASTIC BAGS CAN BE USED FOR YARD WASTE. The container must weigh less than 50 pounds. There is no limit on the number of bags or containers you may put out each week. Larger limbs must be cut to 4 feet or less in length
and tied securely in bundles of less than 50 pounds.

It is recommended that residents consider a "cut it and leave it" program where grass clippings are left on the lawn.

Do not place yard waste in the yellow recycling cans. The yellow recycling cans are only for cans, bottles, cardboard, paper, and other approved commingled recyclables.

Grass clippings are prohibited from being blown into the street.

In the fall residents are encouraged to bag their leaves for collection on Wednesdays.

Firewood Pickup: Limbs larger than 6 inches in diameter and tree trunks will be picked up by Public Works after scheduling with the Public Works office at 856-663-0178 or email Public Works. These items must be cut into a maximum length of 3 feet. Items must be stacked neatly at the curb. This collection occurs within 5-7 business days from notification, typically on inclement weather days. NOTE: Any private tree work performed by a Tree Contractor must include the removal/disposal of tree debris by the contractor.

Yard Waste Collection Of Christmas Trees

After the holidays, the Township’s sanitation contractor, Seaside Waste Services, Inc. will collect live Christmas trees on Wednesdays as part of yard waste collection. Please be sure to remove all decorations, lights, hooks, etc. before placing your tree curbside. Christmas trees with artificial flocking must be scheduled as a “bulk item.” See Bulk Collection above.

Construction Waste

Concrete, stone, brick, and other like items will not be picked up by our sanitation contractor nor Public Works. These items must be taken to a concrete recycling facility. For information, please call Public Works at 856-663-0178 or email Public Works.

Electronics Recycling

The Township’s sanitation contractor, Seaside Waste Services, Inc. will not collect electronics.

Effective January 1, 2011, per the "State of New Jersey Electronics Waste Management Act", residents are no longer permitted to place unwanted TVs, computers, computer related items, electronics at the curb on regular trash day as trash; they must now be recycled. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection has prohibited the disposal of certain types of electronic waste in landfills or incinerators.

Pennsauken does not collect these items curbside, residents may take them to the following locations for safe and proper recycling free of charge:

Magnum Computer Recycling Locations, located at 5070 B Central Highway in Pennsauken, accepts a wide variety of electronic devices, including intact TVs, game consoles, VCRs, and more. Any resident in the tri-state area can drop off their electronic devices - free of charge - at Magnum, Monday through Friday, from 7 am to 3 pm. For those dropping off a large quantity of electronic devices, be sure to call them in advance at 856-333-0991. Residents are also asked not to drop off electronics during off hours or the weekend. For seniors or disabled residents who are physically unable to drop off their TVs, etc., Magnum will pick up your old electronics for a fee. Simply schedule a pick-up by calling 856-333-0991 and place your items outside of your home.

Goodwill Donation Center Locations
Goodwill Stores accept computers and computer peripherals and TVs. Goodwill does not accept consumer electronics such as radios, DVD players, CD players, stereos, cell phones, etc.

Woodcrest Shopping Center Route 561 and Browning Lane, Cherry Hill, NJ, Hours: Monday through Saturday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, Sunday, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
Larchmont Commons Shopping Center, Route 38, Suite 7 Mt. Laurel, NJ, Hours: Monday through Saturday, 8:00 am to 7:00 pm, Sunday, 10:00 am to 6:00 pm
100 Mount Laurel Road, Mt. Laurel, NJ (856) 234-2070, Hours: Monday through Friday, 7:00 am to 3:30 pm
Maple Shade, 2835 Route 73, Phone: (856) 439-0174, Hours: Monday through Saturday, 9:00 am to 9:00 pm, Sunday, 10:00 am to 6:00 pm

Best Buy Stores accepts the following at no cost to the consumer, electronics including DVD players, home and car audio, cell phones, MP3 players, cables, computers, small electronics. View more information on TV disposal and appliance pick up for fees by visiting the Best Buy website.

Best Buy Locations:

2130 Route 70W, Cherry Hill, NJ 08002, Phone: (856) 910-7932, Hours: Monday through Saturday, 10:00 am to 9:00 pm, Sunday, 11:00 am to 7:00 pm
1420 Nixon Drive, Eastgate Square Mount Laurel, NJ 08054, Phone: (856) 608-1600

Examples of items not accepted by the landfill:

TV's (tube, projection, flat panel)
Computer monitors (tube, flat panel, monochrome or color)
Computers (desktops, laptops, notebooks, netbooks, servers, etc.)
Computer parts (circuit boards, memory, hard drives, power supplies, mice, keyboards)
Computer peripherals (routers, printers, modems, dialers, thumb drives, speakers, UPS units)
Telephones (cell phones, chargers, batteries, corded/cordless phones, office telephone systems)
Other electronics (radios, stereos, microphones, headphones, multi-meters, tape decks, CD/DVD/BluRay players)

Household Hazardous Waste

Every year Camden County sponsors several household hazardous waste collection events. Items such as antifreeze, brake fluid, transmission fluid, car polish, oil base paints, furniture polish, and oven cleaners cannot be disposed of in household trash and should be taken to one of the special collection days for proper disposal. See flyer below with this year’s events. For information please call the Camden County Division of Environmental Affairs at 856-858-5241.