Public Works

Sparkle Week 2021

Sparkle Week is an annual event that provides residents with the opportunity to recycle items too large to place in your regular garbage pick-up (please see the list of excluded items below).

Sparkle Week predates the 1960’s, when Lambertville residents would put out their bulk trash in events dubbed “Operation Sparkle.” Over time, it has become a community-wide event, with residents and visitors claiming discarded items that may still have usable life.  Spanning more than 60 years, Sparkle Week has grown from just being a bulk-trash pickup into the ultimate recycling and 'up-cycling' event.

Resdesigned for 2021

The City of Lambertville is hosting Sparkle Week in 2021! This treasured event has been redesigned to allow our pickers to continue with the long-standing event of turning one man’s trash into treasure, while offsetting the budget crunch. The Governing Body relaxed the ordinance that assesses a fine for the placement of trash to the curb prior to 5 pm the night before your regularly scheduled pick-up to allow the time required for our public to view and pick!

2021 Dates are established by zones and are as follows:

Zone One - Tuesday pick-ups:  August 3, 2021

Begins at Church Street and goes south to Route 29, includes Bridge Street, Ferry Street, Swan Street, Mount Hope Street and Canal Street. It also includes Curley Lane, Grants Alley and Washington Street.

Zone Two:  - Wednesday pick-ups:  August 4, 2021

Includes Cottage Hill, Connaught Hill and Music Mountain.

Zone Three – Thursday pick-ups: August 12, 2021

Begins at Church Street, runs north to Delaware Avenue.

Zone Four – Friday pick-ups:  August 13, 2021

Begins the north side of Delaware Avenue, runs north to Cherry Street, and includes Lamberts Hill and Blair Tract.

The following is a review of the program and is offered to help clarify how you can participate:

When does it start?  You can start placing your garbage to the curb the Sunday before your scheduled Sparkle pick-up.

When does it stop? You cannot place additional items out once your garbage has been picked up.  The official end date for Sparkle Week is August 24, 2021 and a fine of $250 will be imposed for all unpermitted left on the curb after that date.

What is included? Up to 4 forty-pound bags of garbage will be accepted without a fee; and the following items will be picked-up for no fee but have limits:

1. Limit two car tires per household,
2. Brush or tree branches must be separated and bundled and nothing larger than 4 inches by diameter,

What happens if I don’t buy a permit? Public Works Department will tag all items that have not been properly paid for with a sticker directing people to the online site to purchase a Bulk Trash Permit (www.lambertvillenj.org) or by calling Clerk’s Office at 609-397-0110, ext. 12. You can purchase a permit or choose to dispose of your items through another venue.

What does it cost? Bulk Trash Permit fees are as follows:

What isn’t included? The following items will not be picked up by the city:

1. No Clothing,
2. No building construction debris (sheet rock, large pieces of wood, etc.),
3. No concrete, brick or block,
4. No electronics (televisions, microwaves, monitors, computers, stereos); these may be taken to Hunterdon County. The schedule can be found at the following link: http://co.hunterdon.nj.us/recycling.html
5. No paints or oils of any kind; these may be taken to Hunterdon County. The schedule can be found at the following link: http://co.hunterdon.nj.us/recycling.html

The only change in 2021 is the requirement of paying to throw your items into the landfill.