Required Service . East Stroudsburg Borough provides mandatory residential garbage collection and disposal services through its designated contractor to all eligible residential units within the Borough. Multifamily housing properties having more than four (4) dwelling units per structure where all the dwelling units are not owned in fee simple by individual owners, group homes, and commercial, industrial and institutional establishments are not serviced by the Borough contract. The owner(s) of these establishments are responsible under Borough ordinance for the proper collection and disposal of solid wastes from their premises by a commercial garbage contractor of their choice. All other residences are provided service through the Borough's contractor, J. P. Mascaro & Sons, under the current four-year contract in effect for the Borough for the 2006 - 2009 years.

New Garbage Collection Day. The pickup day for residential garbage in the Borough is every Tuesday. The major holidays observed by J. P. Mascaro & Sons are New Years Day, Memorial Day, July 4 th , Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. During the 2007 year it is anticipated that the following holidays will require the rescheduling of garbage pickup from the regular Tuesday date to one day later due to such holiday: Memorial Day (pickup on Wed. May 30 th) , Labor Day (Wed. Sept. 5 th ), and Christmas Day (Wed. Dec. 26 th ). For these holiday weeks, garbage collection in the Borough will occur the next day after the holiday, on Wednesday, instead of on Tuesday. Any other unanticipated changes in schedule due to weather or emergency conditions will be announced as time permits in the local newspaper (Pocono Record) and on local radio stations (WVPO/WSBG) and television station 13.

Bulky Items Collected at Curbside. Garbage service in the Borough includes the pickup of large or bulky household items such as furniture or appliances (but not tires), weekly at curbside, in addition to trash in regular bags or containers. There is no requirement for calling in advance for pickup of large items. Please note that because this weekly pickup of bulky items is provided with curbside garbage service, there are no special “spring or fall cleanups” provided by the Borough.

Residents are also reminded that you may only place out for pickup residential wastes generated at or from your residence located within the Borough of East Stroudsburg . It is unlawful for any person to bring into the municipality or permit to be brought into the municipality for pickup/collection and disposal any solid waste that is not generated in or originated from an eligible residence located within the Borough. Violators will be prosecuted under Borough Ordinance.

Requirement for Certified Removal of Freon from Appliances . All refrigerators, freezers, and air conditioners must be certified “deactivated” (freon free) by an authorized contractor before J. P. Mascaro & Sons will pick them up. It is your responsibility as the owner or occupants of a residence to have an appliance with freon deactivated properly. Do not release the freon yourself , as neither the garbage contractor nor the Borough are responsible for disposing of such appliances unless the freon has been removed properly. HVAC contractors generally can perform this service. Following are phone numbers for several local businesses that perform (and certify) freon removal for a fee. This is not a complete listing. You should call contractors for information and pricing details.

Drop Off Only

DES-CPR (570) 421-2912 APS Recycling (570) 420-1460

AC & Pocono Refrigeration ( 570) 629-3460 Appliance Dr . (570) 629-2300

Requirements for Placing Out Garbage/Pickup of Containers. All garbage placed at curbside for collection must be in a reusable garbage container, or suitable disposable garbage bag. Containers must be rust-resistant water-tight cans. Plastic bags shall be sturdy and properly tied ( do not place garbage at the curb in paper bags, cardboard boxes or wood containers). Garbage, containers, or bulky waste items shall not be placed at curbside or along the side of the road before 5:00 p.m. on the day prior to the designated collection day (i.e., not before 5:00 p.m. Monday normally ); and containers must be removed from curbside or along the road no later than 9:00 p.m. on the same day of collection. Placing garbage out too early is a health code violation as well as a visual eyesore. Violators will be prosecuted.

J.P. Mascaro & Sons will not pick up commercial construction refuse or demolition debri. Commercial contractors are responsible for properly disposing of their own construction wastes. Construction materials from residences are a common area of dispute. The general rule is that all refuse must be generated from your own residence. If you are doing remodeling work at your residence as your own “contractor”, the solid wastes can be placed out for collection if they are of reasonable size, length, and weight, and if tied or bundled or placed in a container for easy handling. Again, commercial contractors must properly dispose of their own construction wastes.

Yard Wastes . The garbage contractor, J. P. Mascaro & Sons, is not responsible for picking up tree branches or limbs, bushes, shrubbery or other vegetative cuttings. The Borough D.P.W. crew picks up yard wastes at curbside, on a scheduled every-other-month basis, according to the schedule included in the Section on Recycling. Grass clippings (which are not recyclable) will be taken by the garbage contractor if bagged and placed at curbside for regular weekly garbage pickup.

Leaves . The Borough provides an annual curbside collection program for leaves for approximately six weeks each Fall, approximately from mid-October until Thanksgiving. During other times of the year, a limited amount of leaves will be taken by the garbage contractor if bagged and placed at curbside with regular weekly garbage. Information on the annual Leaf Collection Program will be included in the Section on Recycling during the Fall months.

Other Restricted Materials - Hazardous Wastes, Computers, and Tires.

The Borough garbage service is for the disposal of regular household garbage, refuse, and trash. Hazardous wastes, such as liquid paints, solvents, acids, etc., cannot be placed out for weekly garbage pickup. The Monroe County Municipal Waste Management Authority periodically coordinates collection programs for household hazardous wastes.

Television sets and computer equipment such as monitors, CRT's, and printers also contain quantities of hazardous materials, and most landfills refuse to accept or prohibit the disposal of such equipment. The Burnley Workshop operates a collection program for old computer equipment on Tuesdays thru Thursdays from 1 – 5 p.m. at their Manor Drive (Snydersville) location, just past the Monroe County Correctional Facility. Call Burnley Workshop at 992-6616 for further information.

Also, tires are not accepted for disposal at area landfills. Do not place out tires for garbage pickup . You must recycle used tires through a tire dealer. Tires may be accepted for a fee at the following local tire dealers, depending on space availability :

Bill Diehl's Tire Store 712 Ann St. Stroudsburg 421-8091 $2.00 per tire

Firestone Tire & Service 1070 Congdon Ave. Stroudsburg 421-3601 $2.00 per tire

This is not a complete listing. You must contact individual tire dealers for price and space availability. Do not just drop off tires at the above tire dealers. Call the County Waste Management Authority Office at 643-6100 for further information on any of the above programs.

Solid Waste User Fee Billed by Borough. The Borough charges all residences required to use the Borough-contracted garbage service a mandatory annual solid waste user fee, which offsets the costs of providing garbage collection and disposal services, and recycling collection and processing services, to Borough residences. The cost for providing garbage collection and disposal services has increased substantially, both locally and all across the Commonwealth. The 2007 year cost to East Stroudsburg Borough, based on the new J. P. Mascaro & Sons contract, is $569,220.

The annual solid waste user fee is $245.00 per year per residential unit. The annual solid waste user fee is typically billed by the Borough in mid-January, and if paid in full within thirty (30) days of billing, a fifteen dollar ($15.00) discount is granted resulting in a payment due of $230.00. Payments are also accepted in installments, and the total amount of $245.00 is due within one hundred eighty (180) days of billing. If unpaid after one hundred eighty days of billing, a 10% penalty is added resulting in a total delinquent payment due of $269.50. Unpaid solid waste user fees will result in the placement of a municipal lien by the Borough against the property with the delinquent account. Please note that the owner (landlord) of a rental dwelling unit shall be ultimately responsible for payment of the solid waste user fee for that residence. Solid waste user fees are billed to the owner of record.

The per-residence cost for garbage service in East Stroudsburg Borough is still less than that charged in most other municipalities in eastern Pennsylvania , and by other garbage contractors in the Monroe County region. Again, please remember that the Borough garbage service is basically an unlimited service including pickup of bulk items.

Any residence which has been established in the Borough of East Stroudsburg during any part of any given calendar year shall be subject to the solid waste user fee. The only exemption from payment of the solid waste user fee that may be granted is in the case of a dwelling unit that has been vacant for more than one hundred eighty (180) consecutive days in any given calendar year. Such unit may be eligible for a prorated exemption from payment based on the following procedure:

•  The owner or owner's agent must complete an exemption application available from the Borough Office certifying that the dwelling is or has been vacant for the minimum required period of time and that no garbage, rubbish or bulky wastes have been placed out for collection from the dwelling unit during the period applied for exemption.

•  Vacancy of the dwelling unit may be evidenced by water service to the dwelling unit being shut off by the Borough at the curb stop, otherwise proof of vacancy rests with the owner of the dwelling unit for which an exemption is requested.

Questions on the Borough Solid Waste Collection & Disposal Services ?

Should you have any questions concerning the Borough garbage collection and disposal services, or recycling pickup and processing services, please contact the Borough Office at 421-8300. If your weekly garbage pickup is missed on a Tuesday, contact the Borough Office as soon as possible on that Tuesday as a J. P. Mascaro & Sons representative is supposed to contact the Borough Office each Tuesday to receive and followup on such reports. You may also contact J. P. Mascaro & Sons directly at their Nanticoke ( Wilkes-Barre ) District Office at telephone 1-800-243-7575 between the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., or by mail at: 871 E. Main Street , Nanticoke , PA 18634 .