Year-Round Yard Waste Collection

As residents are home more due to COVID-19, we are seeing unprecedented volumes of yard waste around town as people are landscaping more vigorously than ever before.

Also, due to COVID-19, we can’t have as many workers safely working behind trucks as before, which is further slowing our collection efforts.

The result is that our crews are having difficult times keeping up with the sheer volume of yard debris being left along almost 200 miles of roads in Bethlehem. We apologize for delays in clearing your street, and appreciate your patience.

You can help us move through neighborhoods more quickly by:

Keeping bags and containers light. Each of our crew members hoists literally tons of yard debris every day. Lighter bags and containers allow them to move more quickly, and decreases the chances of them being injured.
Keeping piles at a reasonable size. Spending a lot of time clearing a truck-sized pile from one house means that we won’t have time to clear debris from neighboring homes.
Taking your debris directly to the Compost Facility. Every house that does this frees us to go to another house, especially those whose residents are physically unable to move their debris on their own.

Thank you for your patience.

Properly prepared yard waste is picked up by the Town of Bethlehem Highway Department and is composted at the town's Compost Facility.

Yard waste must be placed in biodegradable PAPER bags* or in reusable containers (not over 32 gallons or 50 pounds each). Brush and branches under 4 feet in length should be piled neatly along the sides of the road, not so high or so wide as to obstruct roadways or line of sight and not in the roadway itself.

Placing debris into the roadway constitutes a violation of the Vehicle and Traffic Law as well as creates a hazardous situation for pedestrian, bicycle, and vehicular traffic. Please make sure that storm drainage inlets are also kept clean of leaves and branches to ensure proper drainage.

Acceptable Items

Acceptable items include leaves, grass, and hedge clippings placed at curbside in biodegradable PAPER bags or in reusable containers (not over 32 gallons or 50 pounds each), as well as brush and branches under 4 feet in length stacked neatly at curbside. No other items or materials are accepted, and all non-conforming items will not be collected. No brush or trees from private contractors will be accepted.

During Fall Leaf Pickup (about October 15), leaves can be left loose at curbside. Note: there is no set schedule during the Fall Loose Leaf Pickup, due to the volume of leaves.

Pickup Schedule

Please note that weather conditions play a major role in our ability to adhere to the schedule. Vehicle breakdowns and failure of the scheduled help to show on a given day are also factors in not keeping to a strict schedule. To find out which day yard waste is collected on your street, you can view the map to the right or look it up by finding your street name in our pickup schedule by street.

* The Town no longer sells paper yard waste bags; they are available for comparable prices at many local businesses including Phillips Hardware, Hannaford, Price Chopper, Curtis Lumber, Stewarts, Lowes, Walmart and more.