Penn Forest Township residents will be able to recycle at the township transfer station.

The supervisors voted Monday night to approve a new, five-year trash contract which includes recycling.

They awarded the contract to Solid Waste Services, doing business as J.P. Mascaro and Sons. Only one other company, Waste Management, bid on the contract.

The contract takes effect Dec. 1.

The township had to temporarily discontinue recycling in March, when there were concerns about how much it cost. When they bid the new contract, they requested that the bidders also provide their price for recycling services.

“I’m glad we can get the recycling back. We told them were going to try, and we did,” said supervisor Roger Meckes.

The bid specifications said the contractor had to recycle aluminum, clear glass, colored glass, corrugated cardboard, high-grade office paper, newsprint, plastics and steel cans.

Other than resuming recycling, residents won’t see any change under the new contract.

Penn Forest does not have curbside pickup. Residents bring their trash and recycling to the township transfer station and the township places them in large dumpsters. The contractor hauls away the large dumpsters at least once a week.

Solid Waste Services submitted a bid of $68 per ton for trash, with a cost of $325 for each container hauled. For recycling, they bid $95 per ton, and $350 for each container hauled.

Waste Management bid $60 per ton, and $422.72-$459.02 per container hauled. For recycling, they bid $150 per ton with $459.02 per container hauled.

The supervisors made their decision after looking at how many tons of trash were hauled in recent years. They determined that Solid Waste Services’ bid would save about $30,000 over the next five years.

The supervisors also agreed to purchase a trash compactor for the transfer station from Eagle Equipment at a cost of $15,671.