YARD WASTE WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED AT BERLIN TRANSFER STATION BEGINNING JANUARY 1

Yard waste will not be accepted at the Berlin Homeowner Convenience Center (HOCC) beginning January 1, 2016 through completion of a project to cap and close the rubblefill located at the site.

December 31, 2015 will be the last day homeowners are permitted to drop off yard waste at the Berlin HOCC. Starting Jan. 1, homeowners should take yard waste to the Central Landfill in Newark for disposal.

“We hope to be able to build up the area and resume accepting yard waste at the Berlin HOCC at some point in the future,” Public Works Director John Tustin said. “However, we won’t know for sure whether this will be a possibility until the project is complete.”

Cleanup of the Berlin rubblefill is anticipated to last three months, with the cap and closure project to begin in spring 2016. The project, funded through general obligation bonds totaling $3.4 million, is expected to take approximately nine months to complete, once the project is approved by the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE).

The Public Works Solid Waste Division operates three HOCCs, which are located in Berlin, Pocomoke and Snow Hill. Homeowners who purchase annual permits may dispose of household trash and recyclable goods at the HOCCs.

Yard waste from homeowners will continue to be accepted at the Pocomoke HOCC. Yard waste from commercial entities is not accepted at the HOCCs and should be taken to the Central Landfill.

HOCCs are closed on Wednesdays and the following holidays: New Year’s Day, Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.

In addition to the HOCCs, the County operates the Worcester County Central Landfill and Recycling Center in Newark as well as Recycling Drop Off Centers. Visit www.co.worcester.md.us and click on Public Works Recycling for a complete list of recycling drop off centers in the county.