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Harborcreek adopts amendment to forbid burning recyclables, leaves and brush after DEP warning
Summary
Following a public hearing, supervisors adopted Amendment 2024-241-1 to explicitly prohibit burning recyclable materials and to align local rules with state law by banning leaves and brush; supervisors cited DEP pressure and raised enforcement and funding concerns.
Harborcreek Township supervisors adopted an amendment to Ordinance 2024-241 that explicitly prohibits burning recyclable materials and — to match state law and retain eligibility for state funds — also prohibits burning leaves and brush.
A township supervisor (identified in the transcript as Dean) told the board that the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) informed the township it is “less than satisfied” with local recycling/burning definitions and indicated DEP could withhold or pursue previously awarded funds if local ordinances are not aligned with state law. In the meeting transcript Dean said the township was “left... with a gun to our head” and that the board had little choice but to adopt the ordinance changes to avoid losing funding; supervisors said they would try to be reasonable about enforcement.
During the required public hearing, Vicki Roberts (who identified herself as being from Larry Road) urged the board to adopt the prohibition even if enforcement is difficult, saying that “even if it’s totally unenforced, having it on the books puts a standard out there” that encourages voluntary compliance. Supervisors discussed the difference between large leaf/brush burns and small recreational fires, and several said they did not intend the amendment to make the township “campfire police.”
Shelly moved to adopt Amendment 2024-241-1 to prohibit burning of recyclable materials, leaves and brush; a second was recorded and supervisors on the record voted yes (the meeting transcript records affirmative votes by Mr. May and the mayor). The board directed staff to draft the ordinance language to meet DEP requirements while attempting reasonable enforcement approaches.
The transcript includes concern from supervisors about enforcement capacity and the unfunded nature of the requirement; several supervisors characterized the state direction as an unfunded mandate and asked staff to balance compliance with practical enforcement.
Sources: public-hearing discussion and vote at the Harborcreek Township meeting on March 18 (meeting transcript).
