Frequently Asked Questions

For more detailed information regarding the Compost Facility or the Rupert Road Landfill, please visit their web pages.

For more information on recycling, both mandatory and voluntary, please visit the Recycling Coordinator's web page.

Q.  When is Household Hazardous Waste and Electronic Collection Days during the year?
A.  Household Hazardous Waste Day is the first Saturday in the month of May and Electronics Collection and Recycling Day is the last Friday and Saturday in the month of September.   For more information on these collection days, you can visit our website under Recycling Coordinator or from our Spring Cleanup and Household Hazardous Waste brochure that gets mailed to all residents the last week of March every year.

Q.  When does the annual Spring Cleaning and Household Hazardous Waste brochure get mailed?
A.  Our Spring Cleaning and Household Hazardous Waste Brochure gets mailed the last week of March every year to all Bethlehem residents.  If you are a new resident or did not get a brochure you could always pick one up at either the Town Clerk's office located on the first floor at the Town Hall in Delmar (8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.) or the Highway Department (7:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.) located at 74 Elm Avenue East in Selkirk

Q.  What size tree limbs/branches can I put out for the Highway Department to pick up?
A.  The Highway Department can pick up branches no bigger then 8” round in diameter and no longer then 6-7 feet long.  They cannot weight more then 50 pounds each.  They must be stacked neatly alongside the curb.

Q.  Does the Highway Department pick up trash?
A.  The Town of Bethlehem Highway Department does not pick up trash. We do however have… Spring Cleanup, Household Hazardous Waste Day and Electronics Collection and Recycling Days.

Q.  Why do Highway Department employees water the flowers when it is raining?
A.  Sometimes you may see us watering the flowers about town when it is raining.  We fertilize the flowers six days a week.  The canopy of flowers and leaves prevent rainwater from penetrating the soil base of the plant therefore we use a special watering hose/nozzle to water the plants.

Q.  When can I rake leaves to the side of the road for pick up?
A.  Leaves can be raked neatly to the side of the road from mid-October to mid-November or until all leaves are picked up pending no significant snowfall.  Leaves must be placed in reusable containers or paper bags*, or piled neatly along the sides of the road, not so high or so wide as to obstruct roadways or line of sight and not in the roadway itself.    Placing debris into the roadway constitutes a violation of the Vehicle and Traffic law as well as creates a hazardous situation for pedestrian, bicycle and vehicular traffic.  Please make sure that storm sewer inlets are also kept clean of leaves and branches to ensure proper drainage.

Q.  What is the schedule for leaves to be picked up that are raked alongside the road?
A.  Leaves are picked up by zones within the Town.  Pick up starts in Zone 1 and works through each street until all the leaves are picked up in that zone.  We then move to the next zone and continue the process until all zones have been picked up.   To see which zone you are in, go to Fall Leaf Pickup or click here.

Q.  Who is in charge of maintaining street signs?
A.  The Highway Department maintains the street signs on all roads in Bethlehem.

Q.  Who should I call regarding dead animals in the roadway or on the side of the road?
A.  If the animal is on a town road, you can call the Town of Bethlehem Police Department at 439-9973 and ask for Animal Control or call Town Hall during regular business hours at 439-4955 and select extension 2016.  For animals on or alongside State roads, call the State Department of Transportation at 765-2841.

Q.  Where can I get more information about the roundabouts in town?
A.  The roundabouts in town are located on State roads. Please visit their informational web site at https://www.nysdot.gov/portal/page/portal/main/roundabouts