First, check to see if your paint is oil-based or water-based. 

• Oil-based paints will be labeled as alkyd or oil-based and make up only 20% of household paints. Oil-based paints CANNOT be disposed of in the regular trash. Oil-based paints must be disposed of at Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Events. The Delaware County Solid Waste Authority offers many HHW throughout the year; for upcoming events, visit their website at this link.
• Water-based paints make up 80% of household paints and are often labeled as water-based, latex, or acrylic. Water-based paints CAN be disposed of in the regular trash; however, certain steps must first be taken before putting them to the curb. To dispose of water-based paints, take the lid off and let the remaining paint dry out before putting it to the curb. If there is too much paint in the can to dry out over a couple of days, pour kitty litter or shredding newspaper into the can to absorb the paint before putting it to the curb.

Under Bethel Township's trash contract with B&L Disposal, residents are permitted to put out one bulk item per week with their regular trash. Residents looking to dispose of carpets or carpet padding should cut the carpet or padding into pieces no longer than 48 inches long, or four feet, and bind them with rope, twine, or heavy tape, before putting the carpeting to the curb. Up to five (5) four-foot rolls may be put out at one time. 

Under Bethel Township's trash contract with B&L Disposal, residents are permitted to put out one bulk item per week with their regular trash. Residents looking to dispose of a mattress and box spring must enclose the mattress in a sealable bag, due to the risk of bed bugs. Sealable mattress bags are available for purchase at major retailers such as Lowes and Home Depot.

At this time, B & L Disposal will not be accepting refrigerators, stand-alone freezers, or air conditioners due to their having the chemical Freon. If the refrigerator, freezer, or air conditioner is still working, residents are encouraged to contact PECO to participate in their Recycling Program. For those items that are no longer in working order, residents are encouraged to contact International Scrap at (610) 494-3171 or 1-800-GOTJUNK (1-800-916-7892).

Televisions and computers will not be accepted for curb pick-up in Bethel Township; however, to recycle these items and other old electronics, Bethel Township offers an E-Recycling event each spring at the Bethel Township Building (1092 Bethel Road). E-Recycling events are typically scheduled on a Saturday in May. Residents are encouraged to check the Township website for upcoming E-Recycling Events. If you do not wish to wait for this yearly recycling event, Best Buy offers year-round electronic recycling at many of their local stores. For availability and pricing, look at the Best Buy website for participating stores. Additional junk removal companies such as 1-800-GOTJUNK may also take these items.

Under Bethel Township's trash contract with B&L Disposal, residents are permitted to put out one bulk item per week with their regular trash. Residents do not need to call to arrange for this service, and there is no additional cost; bulk items should be placed at the curb with the resident's regular trash. Please be sure to check our list of unacceptable trash items before putting your bulk item to the curb. 

The items below are all acceptable recyclables in Bethel Township:

• Aluminum Cans - Empty; aerosol, non-aerosol, all-aluminum beverage and food containers, excluding products such as pie pans and aluminum foil
• Bi-Metallic Cans - Empty; aerosol, non-aerosol steel or tin coated steel food and beverage containers
• Clean Paper Products - Newspaper, magazines and periodicals, high-grade office paper, corrugated paper, junk mail, telephone books and paperback books
• Glass - Plain, uncolored, or colored glass bottles, and jars. Expressly excluded from this definition of glass are blue glass, lead crystal, porcelain products, light bulbs, and tempered or plate glass
• High-Grade Office Paper - All white paper, bond paper, and computer paper used in commercial, institutional and Municipal establishments and in residences
• Magazines and Periodicals - Printed matter containing miscellaneous written pieces published at fixed or varying intervals
• Newspaper - paper of the type commonly referred to as newsprint
• Rigid Plastics - Jugs and bottles with recycle symbol # 1- (check bottom)
• #1 - Polyethylene Terephthalate (PETE) or (PET): soft drink and water bottles, beer bottles, mouthwash bottles, peanut butter and salad dressing containers
• #2 - High Density Polyethylene (HDPE): milk jugs, water and juice containers, liquid detergent bottles, yogurt and margarine tubs
• #3 - Vinyl (Polyvinyl Chloride or PVC): clear food packaging, shampoo bottles
• #4 - Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE): squeezable bottles (e.g. honey, mustard)
• #5 - Polypropylene (PP): ketchup bottles, yogurt containers and margarine tubs, medicine bottles
• #6 - Polystyrene (PS): aspirin bottles, cups, plates (no polystyrene foam products)
• #7 - Other: Use of this code indicates that the package in question is made with a resin other than the 6 listed above, or is made of more than 1 resin used in combination. Plastics such as 3 and 5 gallon reusable water bottles, some citrus juice and ketchup bottles, clear baby food contain

See our simplified recycling flyers for more information:

 What Can Be Recycled?

Recyclable Materials

Yes! Some items cannot be recycled even though they are made out of cardboard, plastic, or aluminum. For more information on these items, see our Recycling Bin's Dirty Dozen Flyer.