Frequently Asked Questions

Single stream recycling allows for the recycling of everything acceptable (glass, plastic, metal, aluminum and paper) to be set out all together in the same container and on the same day. It also increases the items that can be recycled at curbside, including all numbers of plastic containers (i.e. beverage and food, laundry soap, dish soap, peanut butter jars, margarine tubs, yogurt containers), rigid plastic items (lawn furniture, plastic coolers, drinking cups, 5-gallon buckets, flower pots, nursery pots, garbage cans, plastic toys), glass food and beverage bottles and jars and metal and aluminum cans, aluminum foil, aluminum disposable bakeware, empty aerosol cans, and milk and orange juice cartons.

Yes, the trash collectors pick up the recycling as well as trash from their customers. Alternatively, county residents who do not subscribe to a curbside trash collection service can bring their recyclables, free of charge, to the Harford Waste Disposal Center located at 3241 Scarboro Road, in Street.

Please contact your trash collector for the pickup day of your address. The residential trash collectors in Harford County are: 

Bartenfelder Sanitation Services, 410-420-9220 
GFL Environmental, 410-457-0404
Harford County Trash Services, 443-841-6253
Republic Services, 800-284-7056  

Note: Harford County licenses, but does not endorse, trash collectors. If you encounter a firm not on the list above, please contact Harford County’s Solid Waste Management at 410-638-3637.

Providing recycling containers is not economically feasible because of the expense involved, however, to make recycling convenient for residents, there is considerable flexibility in how recycling can be set out for collection. Recyclables may be placed together and set out in a variety of containers such as spare trash cans, new trash cans, corrugated cardboard boxes, even laundry baskets. They could also be placed together in paper bags for collection. Plastic bags, however, may not be used or disposed with the recyclables. Plastic bags foul up the single stream recycling processing equipment.

Plastic bags create problems for the machinery used in the separation process so we are requiring residents not to place plastic bags in with curbside recyclables. Most grocery stores in Harford County accept plastic bags for recycling. Look for the bag container at the front of the store. Please be sure there is nothing left in the plastic bags and that it is dry. We encourage everyone to begin using the re-usable grocery sacks also available from many sources.

You may put out all plastic containers with the number designations (1 through 7) on the bottom of the container, including narrow-necked and wide-mouthed, as well as rigid plastic such as toys, coolers, lawn furniture, drinking cups, garbage cans, laundry baskets, buckets, nursery pots, and flower pots.

Recycling is picked up at curbside by your trash collector and brought to the Harford County Recycling Transfer Station at the Harford Waste Disposal Center, where they are loaded onto tractor trailers and transported to a processing facility in Baltimore County. The segregated material is then sent to secondary market vendors who process the material into re-usable products. Plastic is used to manufacture new containers, carpeting, and fleece clothing. Paper is used to make newsprint. Cardboard is used to make new cardboard and other packaging material. Glass is used to make new glass containers and fiberglass insulation. Aluminum cans are used to make new aluminum cans. Tin cans are used to make new steel products.

Maryland law requires that all apartment and condominium communities with 10 or more units provide a recycling program for residents. For more information, please contact the Office of Recycling at 410-638-3417 or harfordrecycles@menv.com.

Your trash collector also picks up your recycling. Residential trash collectors in Harford County are: 

Bartenfelder Sanitation Services, 410-420-9220 
GFL Environmental, 410-457-0404 
Harford County Trash Services, Inc., 443-841-6253 
Republic Services, 800-284-7056 

Note: Harford County licenses, but does not endorse, trash collectors. If you encounter a firm not on the list above, please contact Harford County's Solid Waste Management at 410-638-3637.

Landfill space is filling up. Why landfill when there are markets for the recyclable items? Recycling saves natural resources and energy and creates less pollution when items are remanufactured using recycled material rather than virgin material.

Recyclable materials can be dropped off at Harford Waste Disposal Center at Scarboro Landfill, 3241 Scarboro Road Street, MD 21154. They accept all recyclable materials free of charge, Monday through Saturday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Also accepted for recycling at HWDC are clothing and textiles, computers, scrap metal, motor oil and antifreeze, ink cartridges, used propane cylinders, and wet cell batteries.

Recycling is accepted free of charge for county residents who bring their recyclables to the Harford Waste Disposal Center at Scarboro Landfill. Charges do apply if the resident also has household trash in the same trip.

Clean newspapers, magazines, and catalogs, junk mail, envelopes (plastic windows okay), phone books, hardback and paperback books, office paper (writing, copy, computer, letterhead, NCR), cardstock/greeting cards, paper bags, paperboard boxes (cereal, frozen food, shoe, etc.), corrugated cardboard, milk, juice, and ice cream cartons and boxes; bottles and jugs (milk, water, detergent, salad dressing, cooking oil, shampoo, spray products, etc.), wide-mouth containers (margarine, yogurt, peanut butter, etc.), disposable plastic cups, plastic toys, plastic lawn furniture, plastic coolers, plastic buckets, trash cans, laundry baskets, flower and nursery pots, aluminum and steel/tin cans (drink, food, and pet food), EMPTY aerosol cans (except pesticide and spray paint), aluminum foil, aluminum foil bakeware, glass, food, and beverage bottles and jars (any color)

No. Yard trimmings (grass clippings, limbs, branches, bushes, leaves) can be brought free to either the Harford Mulch and Compost Facility, Monday through Saturday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., or the Tollgate Yard Trim Drop Off Facility, 703 North Tollgate Road Bel Air, MD 21014, is open 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from April through November and Saturdays only from December through March.

If you seem to receive every catalog ever printed and want to help the environment and save a few trees, go to the Catalog Choice website to cancel those unwanted catalogs. It’s actually fun and very user-friendly.

Coroplast (corrugated polypropylene) signs are not accepted for single stream recycling and should be disposed with the trash.

Please call 410-638-3018 for questions about solid waste services. Please direct inquiries about recycling to 410-638-3417. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. 

Harford County directs the private businesses that collect trash to dispose of it at a solid waste transfer station located at the Baltimore County Eastern Sanitary Landfill in White Marsh, just southwest of the Harford County line. This facility will not be open to county residents. It is only be open to the private trash companies. Harford County residents can drop-off their trash and recyclables at the Harford Waste Disposal Center on Scarboro Road in Street. Read more about Harford County's Solid Waste Management Plan.

The Harford Waste Disposal Center accepts many materials for disposal from county residents including: putrescible household trash and garbage; bulky items such as furniture, bookshelves, used carpeting, etc.; mattresses and cushions; recyclable materials including paper and cardboard, rigid plastics labeled #1 to #7, aluminum cans, tin cans, and glass bottles; used motor oil and antifreeze; old gasoline and gas/oil mixtures (limited to no more than 10 gallons); used tires off the rim (tires exceeding 32-inches wide must first be quartered); wet cell batteries; empty refillable propane cylinders not greater than 20 pound capacity; used clothing; scrap metal, metal objects, and appliances including copper wire and tubing; computer monitors, hard drives, keyboards, and mice; construction and demolition debris (plywood, lumber, doors and door casings, windows and window casings, garage doors, sheds, posts, timber ties, wood associated with swing sets, fencing, drywall, cinder block, brick, asphalt, shingles, tiles, and concrete) not exceeding 25% of the volume of the vehicle’s load; latex paint; yard trim including grass clippings, leaves, and brush/tree limbs; and non-friable asbestos (please call 410-638-3638 for specific instructions). 

The Tollgate yard trim drop-off facility only accepts residential yard trim including grass clippings, leaves, and brush/tree limbs. Open December through March, Saturdays only; and April through November, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The Harford Waste Disposal Center does not accept the following items, which can also be found on our website: liquid waste; friable asbestos; chemicals and chemical constituents in containers with volumes which are greater than that typically found in retail stores catering to the homeowner (including solvents and degreasers, oil-based paint, thinners, herbicides, pesticides); poisons, acids or caustic liquids; explosives or ordinance; hot ashes; radioactive substances; vehicles (including automobiles, RVs, trucks, motorcycles; drums, unless emptied and flattened; compressed gas cylinders (other than refillable 20-pound propane cylinders); septage; logs and stumps; soil or stone. Limitations are placed on on certain materials, including but not limited to construction and demolition debris.

The Harford Waste Disposal Center and Harford Mulch & Compost Facility are open 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Saturday. It is closed Sundays and county holidays. 

The Tollgate Yard Trim drop-off operating hours are 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. It is open Thursday, Friday and Saturday, April through November, and Saturday only, December through March.

Please note the fees for pick-ups and trailers are based on a bed size of no more than 3 feet high and 8 feet long. Beds exceeding these dimensions shall be weighed on the scales and pay the current tipping fee of $117/ton. Cost will be based on the actual weight of the waste, which could be less than $117. The minimum charge of $11 is required at the time of weighing. Any subsequent charge, based on the actual weight, will be collected upon exiting the Harford Waste Disposal Center. Find more information on our fee schedule.

Credit cards can be used on residential transactions for disposal of solid waste only. We cannot accept debit cards or checks. Cash transactions will continue to be required for bulk sales of mulch and compost.

Harford Waste Disposal Center (HWDC)

From South - North on Route 1 to Route 543. Left on 543 five miles, right on Route 440 two miles to Scarboro Road. Right on Scarboro Road and left into HWDC entrance. 

From East - Route 22 West to Route 136. Right on Route 136 to Route 440. Left on Route 440 to Scarboro Road. Left on Scarboro Road and left into HWDC entrance. 

From West - Route 165 to Route 543 to Route 440. Route 440 to Scarboro Road. Left into HWDC entrance. 

From North - Route 1 South to Route 136. Right on Route 136 to Route 440. Left on Route 440 to Scarboro Road. Left on Scarboro Road to HWDC. 

Tollgate Yard Trim Drop-off Facility, 701 N. Tollgate Road, across from the entrance to the Harford County Equestrian Center. From Bel Air, proceed to Tollgate Road from either business Route 1 or Boulton Street; after the Route 1 Bypass overpass, drive past the Equestrian Center. The entrance to the drop-off facility is on the right which is shared with the entrance for the Ma & Pa Trail parking access. Proceed up the hill past the chain link gate.

You should contact your private trash collector about any problems with service. Harford County does not perform nor manage the trash collection services.

Licensed companies providing residential curbside trash pick-up and recycling pick-up in Harford County include: 

Bartenfelder Sanitation Services: 410-420-9220 
GFL: 410-457-0404 
Harford County Trash Services: 443-841-6253
Republic Services: 800-284-7056 

Note: Harford County licenses, but does not endorse, trash collectors. If you encounter a firm not on the list above, please contact Harford County’s Solid Waste Management at 410-638-3637. Harford County does not endorse the use of any particular company.

Yes, wide mouth plastic containers are accepted for recycling, this includes peanut butter jars, margarine tubs and yogurt containers. All recyclables should be emptied and lightly rinsed. Caps, labels and lids can remain on bottles, cans and jars. Find our complete list of what can and can't be recycled.

Most electronic devices are accepted at the Harford Waste Disposal Center, 3241 Scarboro Road Street, MD 21154. Hours are 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Read our electronics recycling brochure.

Latex paint can be disposed of in the regular trash if it is first solidified. Open the paint can lid in an open safe area; accelerate drying by adding kitty litter, wood chips, sawdust, or paint hardener (found in most paint stores/paint departments). Once the paint has dried and solidified it can be added to the household trash. Latex paint can be brought to the Harford Waste Disposal Center in liquid form and poured into a metal bin specifically designated for latex paint (charges apply).

No, although this plastic type can be recycled, it is very difficult to completely clean the oil, which causes problems with the processor. Please put the cap on the container and throw it in with your regular household trash.

Please visit the Used Motor Oil & Anti-freeze Recycling Site page for the most current list of drop-off locations. For additional information, please call Office of Recycling, 410-638-3417.

Up to five tires a year are accepted at the Harford Waste Disposal Center. Maximum diameter of whole tires is 32 inches. Tires in excess of 32-inch diameter must first be quartered.

Mulch and compost are available throughout the year; however, at times the inventory gets low due to seasonal demand and the amount of yard trim received. Both products are available at the Mulch and Compost Facility at the Harford Waste Disposal Center Monday through Saturday, 7 a.m. - 2:45 p.m. County residents may self-load the equivalent of three 30-gallon trash cans of material at no charge per trip. Alternatively, residents may purchase bulk quantities at $10 per cubic yard. 

When you consider the large number of driveways in the county, it would be costly and time-consuming to use additional people and equipment to perform this service. Our primary duty is to open and maintain the roadway system. We provide guidance in our snow removal guide to minimize impacts to your driveway.

Plows need to go a minimum speed to throw the snow off the road onto storage areas in the public right of way. We ask our operators not to throw the snow any farther than necessary. In some cases, however, the sidewalks may be too close to the curb to avoid getting snow on them.

Routes are prioritized based on the roadway type. Trucks are scheduled to do emergency routes first, then minor roads and then courts. Any damage should be reported to the Highway Administrative Office, 410-638-3279, or on our You Click We Fix web page or app.

During snow clearing operations, avoid parking on streets and in courts. Cars should remain in driveways, if possible. Listen to audible alarms and watch for flashing lights warning of backing equipment. Maintain at least two car lengths behind large equipment, including dump trucks. Avoid being caught in the blind spot. For more information, see our Snow Removal Guide.

During large, countywide storms of 6" or more, follow our plows on our Snow Plow Tracker.

Contact Water & Sewer Maintenance at (410) 612-1612. Service is provided 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The County provides several ways for you to make payment.

By Mail:
Bureau of Revenue Collections
P.O. Box 609,
Bel Air, Maryland 21014

In Person:
220 South Main Street
Bel Air, Maryland 21014

Office hours are Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Except on County holidays 

A "drop-box" for payment is also located at this address. 

By Telephone:
To make a payment by phone, call 1-888-288-5609 

Visa®, MasterCard®, and Discover® credit cards and electronic checks are accepted. A convenience fee may apply.

We have detailed information provided on one page for your convenience. Please visit our Water & Sewer Rate page here.

In general Harford County's treated water contains chlorine to disinfect the water (1.0 to 1.5 parts per million), and fluoride (0.7 parts per million). The pH of the treated water is maintained at 7.2 - 7.3 and phosphate is added to protect piping. Carbon is used to remove odor and taste, but the carbon is filtered out before the finished water leaves the plant. A Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) is prepared annually and is provided to all customers in accordance with federal and state requirements. 

Harford County DPW has implemented this program to replace water meters that are currently greater than 15 years old at no charge to our customers.

If your old meter is located outside your home our mechanics will swap out the meter without contacting you.  If your meter is inside your home it will require our mechanics have access inside your home to exchange the meter requiring you to schedule an appointment.  You will be notified of the need to contact us for scheduling.  Someone at least 18 years old must be home during your installation appointment.  In addition, consider the following:

• Appointments are typically scheduled at an exact time between 7:30 am and 2:00 pm Monday through Friday.  Evening or Saturday appointments are possible on a limited basis and subject to availability.
• The meter mechanic will need space around the meter to perform the work, and access to the shut-off valves.  
• The valves must be in good working order prior to the meter replacement appointment.
• Normal meter installation time is approximately 15-30 minutes, during which time the water will be shut off for approximately 5-10 minutes.

The new meter will typically operate the same as the old meter.  All water meters in Harford County have a wireless device that transmits the meter readings on a licensed radio frequency over a short distance to a handheld.  

You may detect a slight increase in your water bill.  As meters age, they tend to run slower and lose accuracy over time.  The new meters record consumption more accurately.

Please call the Harford County Division of Water and Sewer Maintenance Department at 410-612-1612.

The county can remove or trim a tree if it is affecting the roadway or the traveling public. Please report emergencies during the day to our Administrative Office, 410-638-3279, and after business hours to the Harford County Sheriff's Office, 410-838-6600. Non-emergency tree removal requests are prioritized for removal and may be submitted to us using You Click We Fix on our website or app.

Each spring, our highway maintenance district shops schedule their roads for sweeping to remove debris from the highway. Contact the Administrative Office, 410-638-3279, to obtain schedule information.

During business hours, contact the Highway Administrative Office, 410-638-3279, to report potholes. After business hours, potholes may be submitted to us using You Click We Fix on our website or app. Repairs are normally scheduled to be completed within 24 hours of reporting.

All drainage problems should be reported during business hours to our Administrative Office, 410-638-3279, which will contact the appropriate crew to inspect and respond to service requests. After business hours, requests may be submitted using You Click We Fix on our website or app. 

If your street sign is green and you do not live on a numbered route (all numbered routes, i.e. 543, 22, 40 are state roads) your road should be a Harford County public road. Call our Administrative Office, 410-638-3279, to verify if necessary.

Routes are prioritized based on the roadway type. Trucks are scheduled to do emergency routes first, then minor roads and then courts. Any damage should be reported to the Highway Administrative Office, 410-638-3279, or on our You Click We Fix web page or app.

During snow clearing operations, avoid parking on streets and in courts. Cars should remain in driveways, if possible. Listen to audible alarms and watch for flashing lights warning of backing equipment. Maintain at least two car lengths behind large equipment, including dump trucks. Avoid being caught in the blind spot. For more information, see our Snow Removal Guide.

During large, countywide storms of 6" or more, follow our plows on our Snow Plow Tracker.

These usually mean that some type of construction is  about to take place. These marks have been painted by Miss Utility and show the location of utilities in the road. For example, gas lines are yellow, water is blue, sewer is green, electric is red, and telephone is orange.

Many factors determine whether a road should be widened. The first step would be to perform a traffic study. Most of the time these are initiated by citizens’ complaints or the need to correct a problem due to growth in the area. Other factors include the amount of traffic, safety concerns, and the number of accidents on the road. You may call Highway Engineering, 410-638-3509, for information on county road widening projects.

The first thing the county would do is determine exactly where the water is coming from and whether it is a county problem or one that needs to be addressed by the developer or adjacent property owners.

Sometimes a neighbor can change the grade of his property, creating water problems for his neighbors. If the county decides it is a county problem, we will send an inspector to the area to make sure it is not being caused by routine maintenance, such as a clogged pipe or culvert, a curb that needs to be replaced, or a drainage ditch that needs to be cleaned out. 

Both the county and the state are responsible for installing traffic signals on county and state roads. If the intersection involves a state and a county road, the state is responsible for installing the signal. A traffic count is performed and the accident history of the intersection is researched. Then, if the intersection meets federally established criteria, the light is programmed for funding and construction into the capital account and installed.

Please refer to our Road Reports for a listing of roads closed due to weather, construction, or special events.

Maryland vehicle law sets basic speed limits for various classes of streets and highways. The law provides that these limits can be raised or lowered, based on the results of traffic engineering studies.

The following conditions may influence speed limits:

- Atypical traffic characteristics because of particular land use or other conditions
- Road design elements substantially above or below what are atypical
- Prevailing speeds consistently higher or lowers than the statutory speed limit
- Transition between rural and urban areas on major highways
- Schools or other significant pedestrian traffic areas
- Road construction activity
- Frequent collisions in which speed is a contributing factor
- Unusual or unanticipated conditions

A traffic engineering study is the observation and analysis of road and traffic characteristics to guide the application of traffic engineering principles. The study of traffic limits includes the following:

- Review of the road's environment, features, and conditions and traffic characteristics
- Observation and measurement of vehicle speeds at one or more representative spots along the road in ideal weather and under free-flowing traffic conditions
- Analysis of the vehicle speeds to determine average and 85th percentile speeds and other characteristics
- Review of the road's crash history
- Review of any unusual conditions not readily apparent to the driver

The 85th percentile speed is the speed at or below which 85 percent of the motorists drive on a given road when unaffected by slower traffic or poor weather. This speed indicates the speed that most motorists on that road consider safe and reasonable under ideal conditions.

The service line is a pipe that connects your home or business to the water main in the street. There are two sections.  In general, the County-owned portion extends from the water main in the street to a valve or meter at your property line.  The customer-owned portion attaches the County-owned line to the plumbing in your building.

The Environmental Protection Agency has required all utilities that provide drinking water to consumers to prepare an inventory of water service lines.  This has been required to identify properties that are served by lead service lines.

Visit this link for more information.