It was announced at the Emmaus Borough Meeting March 18 all residents will be required to put their trash in a container come next year.

A year ago, the borough applied for a state grant of roughly $130,000 that would allow them to purchase recycling containers. The borough received a letter from the state saying they would not be awarded the grant because the solid waste ordinance wasn’t in compliance with state laws.

Borough Manager Shane Pepe said the borough practiced everything required, but it wasn’t written in the ordinance. This caused council to reopen the ordinance to add not only the required laws, but their own additions as well which includes residents having trash cans.

The ordinance, which will go into effect one year after it’s adopted, will require residents to put all trash into containers.

Per the ordinance, there is no minimum size requirement for the trash containers, but there is a maximum of 50 gallons. The container will be required to either have a lid or be water tight.

Councilman Jeff Shubzda, who is head of the health, sanitation and codes committee, said the reason they are requiring containers is because of “beautification, eliminating torn bags or rodent access and it’s more efficient for the hauler to pick up one container then multiple bags.

“The lack of proper sanitation habits leads to trash spillage, increased rodent populations and the overall perception of a dirty city,” Shubzda said.

In a survey that went out to borough residents last year, 58 percent said the borough should mandate trash cans.

In addition to trash, all recycling will be required to be placed into a container.

“Plastic bags are not accepted in the recycling system that we have,” Shubzda said.

He said the hauler, Whitetail Disposal, said they will not require the recycling containers to have a lid. The haulers like to be able to look into the containers to make sure it’s recycling products and not trash, which has been an issue with some Emmaus residents.

All residents will be required to have a recycling symbol sticker on the recycling containers. The sticker can be picked up at borough hall.

“It’s beneficial for the residents to follow this because the more efficient [residents become] with the recycling and having less contaminated recycling, the more that can be recycled,” Council President Brent Labenberg said. “They can recoup costs and help keep our refuse bill possibly lower or at least leveled off. I know one thing, if you don’t follow it, it can increase [the recycling bill].”

Shubzda added the hauler not taking recycling due to contamination is a major concern right now.

“We’re just a small borough, but if everybody does their part it helps,” he said. “We’re trying to come up with ways to help with the recycling and also to help with the beautification.”

Shubzda said they will be trying to get a grant again in the future to allow the borough to purchase recycling containers for residents now that the ordinance is straightened out.

In addition to refuse and recycling containers, any cardboard recycled must be flattened and placed into a larger box or container. Shubzda said there are many businesses in the borough that do an excellent job with breaking them down, but there are still a few who just put the empty boxes outside and stack them on top of each other.

Items added to the ordinance that are required by the state, which the borough had already been practicing, included curbside collection of residential recycling, recycling at community events, curbside collection of leaf waste, yard waste and holiday trees, spare leaf waste and a leaf waste drop-off center. Council will also be appointing a refuse and recycling coordinator.

Additional changes made to the ordinance besides the container policy and corrugated cardboard includes breakdown of exactly what goes into the refuse bill, definition of the commercial dumpster service program and who is exempt and who pays and definition of “disposal site.”

Additions the borough added that are not mandated items include electronic recycling, a household hazardous waste program and special collection events such as Dumpster Day and household hazardous waste events.

The ordinance, unless some unforeseen event occurs, is expected to pass its final reading April 15, which would mean residents will have until April 15, 2020 to get a trash can and recycling bin.