A new year has brought new regulations to Lawrence Township’s municipal brush collection service.
After months of discussion, the Lawrence Township Council adopted a new ordinance – which took effect this month – setting out the rules and regulations for residential brush collection by the Lawrence Township Department of Public Works.
The ordinance replaces the piecemeal ordinances that regulated how brush was to be set out for collection.
Lawrence Township is divided into four zones for brush collection pickup purposes, and property owners may only put plants, bushes, twigs and branches out on the curb or edge of the street during the scheduled pickup week for their neighborhood.
The new regulations state that the piles may not be more than three feet tall nor extend more than 12 feet along the curb or edge of the street. Branches must be less than six inches in diameter, and should not be more than three feet long.
Leaves should be separated from other vegetative matter, and not mixed together with it. Grass clippings should be put in bags and disposed of with regular household trash.
Property owners or occupants may not add their vegetative material to the piles in front of a neighboring property, nor may they allow vegetative material from other properties to be added to the piles in front of their property.
Yard debris and vegetative material may be stored on the property until it is time to be collected.
Trees and tree stumps are banned from collection, and commercial landscapers and tree contractors should not put them out for collection.
The property owner or occupant is responsible for ensuring that commercial landscape contractors and tree contractors comply with all of the regulations.
Commercial landscapers must register with Lawrence Township every year by March 31, and pay a $50 annual fee. They will receive a copy of the brush collection regulations, and must acknowledge in writing that they received it.
Commercial landscapers also must acknowledge in writing that they have received – or have been offered – a copy of federal and state wage and hour laws intended to prevent wage theft.
The ordinance grew out of a discussion about the brush collection program between Lawrence Township Council and Lawrence Township Public Works Director Greg Whitehead.
Whitehead told the council that there had been ongoing issues with the brush collection program, although regulations were in place. The program was intended for homeowners who do their own yard work.
Among the issues were the commercial landscapers and tree contractors who were putting tree stumps in the street for collection and who were bringing in yard debris from other towns for disposal.
The commercial landscapers also were putting yard debris in the street after the Department of Public Works crews had passed through the neighborhood, which meant piles of yard debris sat on the curb or in the street for several weeks.
Lawrence Township officials agreed that a new ordinance should be drafted to regulate brush collection.