New Truck Helps Hatboro to be Greener

Gone are the days of recycling being a "hassle."

Hatboro's brand-new single-stream recycling truck can handle boxes as large as those that cover refrigerators, Borough Manager and Public Works Superintendent Fred Zollers told Patch. 

"We’ll probably be updating the ordinance to kind of make it easier for people to recycle," Zollers said, adding that the current regulation requires that boxes be broken down before being placed curbside. "Anything to make it easier for people to put the recycling out."

A state grant covered the bulk of the cost of putting the new truck into service.

Even though the roughly 20-yard trash truck isn't much bigger than its predecessor, Zollers said its compacting mechanism will help to make recycling less of a "hassle."

In 2013, Hatboro collected 659 tons of paper, glass and plastic, according to Brent M. Sine, Hatboro Public Works Department foreman. The borough received $12.23 per ton, or $8,059.57 in all, he said. 

"We pay $65 per ton to dispose of our trash so it makes sense to recycle as much as possible," Sine said. "We are very proud of our recycling program and the cooperation we receive from residents and borough council."

Last year, trash made up 64 percent of Hatboro's solid waste while recycling–paper, glass, plastic and yard waste–made up 36 percent, he said.

Enforcement coupled with educating the public on the benefits of recycling could increase that number, he said.