One of the most frequent requests the borough receives from residents is the option to recycle items such as electronics, hazardous waste and paper shredding.

Since residents can’t dispose of electronics such as TVs and hazardous waste through the normal trash pickup, the only option is to travel a distance to other areas that do allow recycling for these types of items.

Borough Council President Thomas Rieger and Borough Manager Cathy Hartranft brought up the topic for discussion at the most recent council meeting.

The borough has two options, one would be to partner with the county. The county offers up to $3,000 per event, but the borough would have to find a suitable site and provide the manpower for activities such as directing traffic and cleanup. Another option would be to do it privately within the borough and partner with local businesses and or with a neighboring municipality such as Lower Saucon Township.

Council member Herb Payung expressed concerns with the size of the event if the borough partners with the county. He said with county hazardous waste events, the number of cars alone could get backed up for a mile or more, even with as many as 35 to 40 volunteers.

Mayor David Heintzelman had a hosted a similar event in Hellertown at his business for a couple of years. He said the number of recyclables alone exceeded the capacity of the trucks that were provided to haul it away resulting in an overflow of items being left in his parking lot for days until the trucks could come back.

Council members also discussed just offering it for residents only, but it may be difficult to police with many who would want to come out from other communities to dump their waste. Rieger suggested a requirement to show a license or a Saucon Valley Compost Center card.

Another issue is the cost to residents. It would not be a free event, but the borough would try to keep the cost as low as possible. Heintzelman reiterated that based on his own experience, hosting an event can be cost prohibitive. At his event, residents were charged a fee to drop off recycling, however, the perception by some was his business and another partnering business were looking to profit off the event. He confirmed this was not the case at all. He also stated the importance to properly advertise fees associated with an event so individuals know that in advance.

The current plan is to further explore options. Council discussed the possibility of hosting an event privately this year and then considering partnering with the county in 2019.

In other news, former Mayor Richard Fluck was in attendance to receive an award from the Hellertown Police Association for his many years of service to the Hellertown community.