New Kensington to see garbage picked up 4 days a week under new contract
New Kensington residents will have something new to learn for the new year — when their garbage will be picked up.
Under the city’s five-year, $15.3 million contract with County Hauling, which starts Monday, garbage will be collected over four days each week instead of the entire city having collection on Fridays.
Garbage will be picked up every weekday except Wednesdays. County Hauling sent a list and map to residents detailing which streets are picked up on which days. The information also is available on the city’s website at newkensingtonpa.org.
Nine streets the company says require a small truck will be serviced Fridays. They are Reinhart Road, Union Way, Garfield Street, 300 Wood St. and the following alleys: Burrell, Seventh Street, Wood Street, Boundary Way and Sign Shop 7th Street.
The first week of January will be a bit more complicated. Because New Year’s Day is a Monday, the company said the first collection of the year will be delayed by one day.
When a holiday falls on a weekday, collection is pushed back one day for all the days that follow, the company said. For 2024, in addition to New Year’s Day, that includes Memorial Day, May 27; Independence Day, July 4; Labor Day, Sept. 1; Thanksgiving, Nov. 28; and Christmas, Dec. 25.
Another big change in the contract is the cost. The quarterly cost for solid waste, leaf and branch collection and recycling increased by 73%, from $78 to $135.
Other guidelines outlined by County Hauling for garbage collection include:
• Trash must be out after 6 the night before collection or before 6 a.m. the day of collection.
• Trash containers and bulk items must be within 5 feet of the curb or the edge of a traveled road and not placed to interfere with the collection of other items, block the right of way or obstruct traffic.
• All trash must be bagged before being placed in trash cans. Each bag must weigh less than 45 pounds.
• There is a limit of 10 bags of trash and one bulk item per week for each household.
• Bulk items include stoves, refrigerators, washing machines, furniture and furnishings, plumbing fixtures, chairs, tables, armoires, chests, headboards, couches, cabinets and dressers. Mattresses and box springs are required to be covered in bags made for that purpose. Pianos, organs, spas, hot tubs and furnaces are excluded.
• Electronic and household hazardous waste will be collected at no additional cost. Pickup can be scheduled online at countyhauling.com/hhw-and-e-waste-recycling/, by email at info@countyhauling.com or by calling 724-929-7694.
Brian C. Rittmeyer is a TribLive reporter covering news in New Kensington, Arnold and Plum. A Pittsburgh native and graduate of Penn State University's Schreyer Honors College, Brian has been with the Trib since December 2000. He can be reached at brittmeyer@triblive.com.
Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.