By Joe Scavuzzo, Director, Department of Public Works

For the first time in over 20 years, Pennsauken residents will have their trash picked up by a different trash collection company.

Approximately every five years, the Township is required to go out to bid for pricing on trash collection. This cycle, South Jersey Sanitation Company, Inc. was awarded the contract for 2019-2021, with two additional one-year options. Although the collection company is changing, the days that you are serviced for your trash, recycling, white goods and yard debris remain the same. The only difference here is the company performing the work. The trash rules and regulations will also remain the same. In introductory meetings with the company owner and the designated route manager for Pennsauken, I walked away with a sense of comfort after discussing our typical issues and the uncertainty that comes with change.

South Jersey Sanitation is not new to our area. They have serviced nearby Camden County towns, such as Barrington, Haddon Heights, Collingswood, Haddon Township, as well as several towns in Burlington County.

We will be providing new contact information for complaints that you can call directly to South Jersey Sanitation; or you can continue to call the Public Works office and we will forward your issues along to them for correction.

The Township anticipates that there will be a couple weeks of adjustment for the new company to familiarize their crews with Pennsauken. That being said, you may be missed, or notice that your trash was collected at a different time during the day. Since the new trash crews only get one day a week to learn on any given street, it’s not unreasonable to expect 3-4 weeks of stumbling before all of the kinks are worked out. We will work through it together and thank you for your patience in advance. In 2019, you will also notice that Pennsauken, in conjunction with other towns throughout Camden County, will be refining our recycling efforts. Due to China’s refusal of contaminated recyclables from the United States, these requirements are trickling down to individual towns; as a result, we need to recycle better. South Jersey Sanitation’s arrival to Pennsauken has no impact on our efforts to clean up our recycling. They are paid to collect and drop off trash, recycling, yard debris or white goods (metal) at the appropriate facilities.

It’s worth mentioning again: NOTHING is changing with your trash and recycling collection, except for the crew that does the work and the name on the side of the truck. We will experience the same six trash holidays during the year: New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Each of these days will push the schedule back one day, just like it has always worked. If you have any questions at all, simply call the Public Works office at (856)-663-0178.