Robert G. Wasp, P.E.
Commissioner of Public Works

Sanitation

Garbage is collected twice a week. Newspaper and co-mingled material for recycling are picked up weekly. To obtain a copy of the Town's recycling guidelines, please call 670-3100. Trash and organic yard waste is picked up Town wide, each Wednesday, except on Town holiday weeks when trash and yard waste pick-up is suspended. Please call 670-3200 ext. 3200 to schedule an appointment for the pick-up of any metal items, appliances or electronics.

Parks

The Parks and Playgrounds Division maintains Town parks and playgrounds. They prepare the pools for the Memorial Day weekend opening and maintain the pools according to Health Department standards. Grass is cut and flowers are planted in all park areas. All baseball fields are also maintained by this division. Improvements are continually made to the parks and could include new playground equipment, the construction of shelters, or new parking spaces.

Highway

A Highway garage is located on Gleason Place in downtown Harrison where vehicles, equipment and tools used by the Highway Division are stored.  The division is responsible for the paving, maintenance and repair of all town roads; the care and maintenance of sidewalks, sewer lines and storm drains. Snow removal and leaf pick-up, as well as the care and removal of town trees are also the responsibility of the Highway Division. Town owned parking lots are maintained by this division, which involves resurfacing, sweeping and snow plowing as needed.

Recycling

Click here to download the 2008 recycle guide

Click here to download the 2008 Recycle Calendar

Click here to download the Town/Village of Harrison's Recycling Guidelines

RECYCLING AND SOLID WASTE DISPOSAL

LEAVES

FALL LEAF PICKUP FROM OCTOBER 15TH THROUGH DECEMBER 15

Leaves may be placed loose at the curb or in open containers or paper bags at curbside or edge of property. Brush must be cut and bundled in three-foot lengths, not to exceed 50 pounds. No bulk leaves will be permitted curbside after December 15 (AS FINES WILL BE ISSUED). No brush or other non-leaf material shall be mixed with leaves. The following items should be placed in paper bags separate from leaves such as: small twigs, grass cuttings and garden plants.

Please do not place leaves or brush on streets or sidewalks (AS FINES WILL BE ISSUED).

CHRISTMAS TREES

Christmas trees may be placed curbside for pickup from January 3rd through January 28th. Do not place trees in plastic bags. No holiday wreaths or roping accepted.

SANITATION

Household Garbage will be picked up twice weekly. Commercial District Garbage will be picked up four times weekly. All garbage shall be set out in containers before 6:30 a.m. on the day of collection.

Trash will be picked up on Wednesday only, except Town Holiday weeks when trash pickup is suspended.

Grass clippings, organic yard waste and leaves will be picked up on the last day of your normally scheduled garbage collection, either Thursday or Friday, and must be in brown paper bags.  There will be no metal or trash collections during any week with a Town Holiday (see Schedule which follows for a List of Town Holidays).

2008 TOWN OF HARRISON - OBSERVED HOLIDAYS

SANITATION - RECYCLING

Recycling

Newspaper and co-mingled material (defined below under glass, plastics and metal containers) will be collected on the same day. Please check the calendar and street listing which follow to determine your pick-up day and ZONE. All recycling shall be set out in containers before 6:30 a.m. on the day of collection.

Newspapers: All weekly and daily newspapers (including glossy inserts sold as part of the newspapers) may be placed loose in the Town distributed blue bin, corrugated boxes or brown paper bags. PLASTIC BAGS MAY NOT BE USED TO CONTAIN THESE ITEMS. Magazines, telephone books, brochures, catalogs, junk mail, computer and business paper, envelopes and promotional advertisements are acceptable. HARD COVER AND PAPERBACK BOOKS ARE NOT RECYCLABLE.

Corrugated Cardboard: All non-wax coated, corrugated boxes which are clean of excessive amounts of contaminants (adhesive tapes, metal or plastics) and WHICH HAVE BEEN FLATTENED AND BUNDLED FOR COLLECTION WILL BE PICKED UP WITH NEWSPAPERS. Bundles shall not exceed three feet by three feet by one foot or they will not be collected.

Glass: Food and beverage glass jars, bottles and containers made of green, brown or clear glass which have been rinsed clean with caps removed will be picked up in the Town distributed blue bin, in a cardboard box or in a clean, uncovered garbage can. These items will not be collected if contained in plastic or paper bags. The following items are expressly prohibited from co-mingle collection: light bulbs, window and mirror glass, ceramics, pesticide-herbicide bottles and any other non-food and non-beverage containers.

Plastics: All plastic containers coded #1 and #2 used for food, beverages, detergents, shampoos, milk, water, and soda rinsed clean will be collected. The following items are expressly prohibited from co-mingle collection: foam plastic materials (including "popcorn" packing material), film plastics, plastic bags (regardless of recycling code number), vinyl, flower pots, 5 gallon plastic pails and pesticide-herbicide containers.

Metal Containers: All food and beverage containers made of tin, aluminum and other metals rinsed clean will be collected (empty aerosol cans are acceptable). The following items are expressly prohibited from co-mingle collection: aluminum siding, scrap metal, wire, pipes, tubing, motors, sheet metal, water based and oil-based paint cans.

Bulk Metal

The following items are defined as bulk metal products: stoves, refrigerators, dishwashers, dryers, washing machines, hot water heaters, freezers, lawn mowers, air conditioners, plumbing fixtures and other large metal items. Bulk metal products must be free of capacitors and freon gas before placement at the curb. A heating and air conditioning specialist or plumber certified by Westchester County may be consulted to remove freon and to affix the required seal before pickup. Please call the Sanitation Department at 914-670-3200 ext. 3200 for the names and telephone numbers of firms qualified to perform the proper draining of the freon. Another option for the disposal of appliances is to contact your appliance dealer to accept the appliance and drain the freon using proper methods. All metals will be picked up curbside on WEDNESDAY BY APPOINTMENT ONLY. To schedule an appointment, call 914-670-3200 ext. 3200 between 9:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. on business days. Pickup of bulk metal items is suspended during weeks containing Town Holidays.

Bulk Waste and Trash

Bulk waste and trash will be picked up curbside on WEDNESDAY ONLY, except Town Holiday weeks in which bulk waste and trash pickup are suspended. To insure collection, trash should be placed curbside the day before scheduled pick-up or prior to 6:30 a.m. on Wednesdays.

Bulk waste includes: furniture such as beds, couches, and chairs. Rugs may be cut no longer than four foot lengths and tied in bundles not to exceed 50 pounds.

Trash includes all items other than household garbage and recyclables. Quantities of trash exceeding two cubic yards are BY APPOINTMENT ONLY. Items that will NOT be collected include, but are not limited to: construction debris, building alteration debris, tree stumps, rocks, concrete, bricks, plaster, sheet rock, soil, auto and/or truck tires, waste substances, car batteries, pesticides, etc.

Motor Oil:
Take motor oil to a service station or to a retail outlet that sells motor oil. State law requires most service stations and retailers to accept, free of charge, up to five(5) gallons of motor oil per person per day. 

Drain oil into a clean unbreakable plastic container with a tight-fitting lid. (Do not mix the oil with any other fluid such as antifreeze, brake fluid or gasoline.) Be certain that the container you use is thoroughly rinsed so that nothing will contaminate the motor oil. 

Oil Filters:
Drain oil from the filter. This should be done in an area where the temperature is higher than 60 degrees F. Oil drains more easily and thoroughly at warmer temperatures.

Drained oil filters may be accepted by some municipal recycling depots, curbside bulk metal collection programs or local scrap metal dealers. As a last resort, drained filters should be wrapped in newspaper and disposed of in the garbage.

Vehicle Batteries:
Take vehicle batteries to retailers that sell them. State law requires such retailers to accept, free of charge, up to two (2) vehicle batteries per person per month.

You can also call local scrap metal dealers and ask if they will accept your battery.

It's the LAW:
If a service station or retailer refuses to accept your motor oil or vehicle batteries, you have the right to report the facility to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Enforcement Division at (914) 256-3013.

Household Batteries:
Many of us are concerned about how battery disposal affects the environment. In 1992, an international standard was implemented which requires manufacturers to produce the commonly used alkaline and carbon zinc batteries with a significantly lowered mercury content. Now, more than 85 percent of household batteries can be disposed of safely in the garbage.

Propane Gas and BBQ Tanks:
20 Pound Tanks: The companies listed below accept 20 pound propane tanks. They charge a nominal fee. Before placing a tank in your car, empty it through normal use on your grill and seal it with a plastic safety cap. Propane tanks come with a cap to insure safety in transit. Most hardware stores and propane distributors sell replacement caps.

• Tech Air
  465 Knollwood Road, White Plains, NY (914) 949-5151
• Columbia Propane
  Route 6, Brewster, NY (914) 279-8414
• American Compressed Gases
  834 Nepperhan Ave., Yonkers, NY (914) 968-8708
• Synergy Gas
  Route 9 and Lions Road, Cold Springs, NY (914) 265-3637

Note: Inclusion of a company on this list is not an endorsement by the Town/Village of Harrison.

If your barbecue tank can be refilled, ask a neighbor or friend if he or she can use it.

One Pound Tanks: Residual gas should be burned off through proper use on the gnu. Empty tanks may be disposed of in the garbage or on bulk pick-up days.

Household Paint:
Both oil-based paint and water-based or latex paint may be legally and safely disposed of in your garbage by following the simple instructions below.

Why You Can't Just Throw it Out!
Paint in liquid form presents a collection problem for your hauler. Think of the potential mess a can of liquid paint can cause to the road, a truck or sanitation crew if it spills or splatters when being crushed by a compactor truck.

How to Prepare a Can of Paint for Disposal in the Garbage

Empty Can of Paint:
Put it out next to the garbage with the lid off. (Do not include the empty can with your recyclables.)

Can with Paint:
Harden paint by mixing kitty litter or another absorbent pellet material (such as Speedy-Dri) until no liquid remains. The more absorbent material added, the faster the paint will harden. To make more room for the absorbent material, full or partially full cans of paint should be poured off into empty cans or ones with less paint.

Air dry the paint and kitty litter mixture until hard. This should take 1 to 2 days. Once the paint is hard, put the can out next to the garbage with the lid off.

Why leave the lids off?
Your hauler needs to know that the paint going into a compactor truck was indeed hardened.


INFORMATION REGARDING REMOVAL OF HAZARDOUS WASTE MAY RE OBTAINED BY CALLING THE WESTCHESTER COUNTY HOUSEHOLD CHEMICAL WASTE INFORMATION HOTLINE AT 914-637-3037. Information regarding removal of other items may be obtained by consulting the yellow pages under "Rubbish and Garbage Removal." 

BACKYARD COMPOSTING

What is Compost?  Compost is a dark crumbly, earthy smelling form of decomposing organic matter that can be used to enhance everything you grow. 

Why Compost?  Compost is nature's fertilizer. It can feed your garden, lawn, trees, shrubs or planter boxes. When mixed with soil, it improves soil quality and improves plant growth.

What to Compost?  Leaves, grass clippings, weeds, etc., make good compost. Kitchen wastes, such as salad greens, coffee grinds and fruit peelings can be composted if buried several inches deep in your compost pile.  Do not compost meat scraps, bones, dressings and oils, and fatty foods. Put these items in your garbage. Woody yard waste is also not suitable for compost. It can be cut up for fireplaces or wood stoves, or it can be shredded for mulch-making.

For more information about Composting contact:

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Westchester County
214 Central Avenue
White Plains, NY 10606
914-285-4640

IMPORTANT NOTICE:

Please be advised that "back door" collection of garbage (non-curbside) can only be made when the residence driveway and passageway are free and clear of all snow, ice, vehicles and/or any other obstacles. The Sanitation Department drivers will determine whether the driveway can be safely negotiated. If your driveway or passageway is inaccessible, the Sanitation Department will NOT pick up materials other than those which are at the curb. We recommend that materials to be picked up in these conditions be placed curbside on the day of collection to insure pickup of the materials.

Please be further advised that due to liability concerns, the Sanitation Department will NO LONGER enter locked buildings for collections, (i.e., coded or key locked garages, etc.). All materials to be picked up must be located outside of the residence. Furthermore, collections will not be made from below ground containers and additional restrictions may exist to pickup on private roadways. By law, Trash, Bulk Waste, Bulk Metal, garbage and recyclable can only be placed outside on the day of collection. Please cooperate to keep our Town looking beautiful. 

LEAF MULCHING

Leaves are a renewable resource of nutrients which protect root systems and help keep them moist during hot summer months. Leaf mulching also reduces the use of costly fertilizer and potentially hazardous weed killer!

Before Mulching with your Lawn Mower:
1. Make sure trees are healthy (disease free).
2. Check equipment - sharpen blades, clean filters.
3. Be careful to tree roots, stones, sticks, balls, etc.

How to Mulch Leaves with your Lawn Mower?
1. Working in one direction, run mower over leaves, blowing cuttings
    away from tree trunks.
2. Then work in opposite direction.
3. Take two to three passes once a week until most leaves are chopped.
4. Spread remaining leaves out with a rake, or heap on compost pile with
    grass clippings.
5. Do not allow leaf cuttings to accumulate too close to the tree trunk.
    Keep back: 2-3" - for smaller trees / 6-12" - for larger trees

To determine if trees are diseased, call:

Harrison Environmental Advisory Committee
NYS D.E.C. Forestry Department
Certified Arborist

HARRISON'S TREE PROTECTION LAW
LOCAL LAW NO. 3 OF 1989

To remove or substantially alter a tree of four inches or more in diameter, you must apply for a Tree Removal Permit from the Building Department. Attached to the application should be a diagram of the property indicating the tree(s) to be removed and any other information required by the Building Department to process the application.

For information, please call the Building Department at (914) 670-3050

Street Lighting

The Street Lighting Division maintains street lighting on all roadways, parking areas and parks in the Town of Harrison.