Trash & Recycling in Allentown, PA

If you live in Allentown or are thinking about moving there, trash & recycling are one of those things you probably won't think about until they affect you directly. Allentown has 9 specific rules on the books covering different aspects of trash & recycling, and some of them might surprise you.

Yard Waste Collection

Allentown residents must keep yard waste separate from trash and recyclables until collection, unless they compost it themselves. Waste goes to curbside on scheduled days or to the City's designated yard waste site, with a $12-per-cubic-yard loading fee for mulch service.

Key details: Governing section: City Code § 525-19. Separation required: Yes, unless resident composts. Mulch loading fee: $12 per cubic yard. First-tier ticket: $25 or $100. Appeal window: 10 days to Bureau.

Under § 525-24, violation tickets run $25 or $100. Paying within 10 days closes the matter; missing that window adds a $10 penalty (on a $25 ticket) or $25 penalty (on a $100 ticket) for days 11 through 20, and nonpayment after 20 days escalates to a citation. Citation fines run $25 for a first conviction, $50 for a second, and $100 for a third or later conviction, with each day of a continuing violation a separate offense. Ticket recipients can appeal to the Bureau of Recycling and Solid Waste within 10 days under § 525-22, and a Hearing Officer may uphold, deny or modify the ticket.

Bin Placement Rules

Allentown residents must keep trash containers off the front porch and may only wheel them to the curbline between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. on their designated collection night, then pull them back within 12 hours after pickup. Containers must be durable, watertight, lidded and address-marked, and bagged trash cannot sit outside except at curbside.

Key details: Curbside window: 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. only. Removal deadline: Within 12 hours after pickup. Container weight limit: 70 lbs (rigid) or 40 lbs (bags). Porch storage: Prohibited except on collection night. First-offense fine: $25 minimum.

Section 525-12.C(2) singles out this rule: whoever violates the placement and removal requirements of Section 525-4.B(3) is fined no less than $25 on the first offense. General violations of the article carry a fine up to $1,000 or 90 days imprisonment, with each day a violation continues counted as a separate offense; the City may also correct a violation itself and bill the property owner for the cost.

Collection Schedule

Allentown automatically enrolls single-family homes, multifamily buildings of 25 units or fewer, and rooming units in the mandatory City Curbside Collection Program, billed a $605 annual municipal waste and recycling fee. The Bureau of Recycling and Solid Waste divides the city into districts with fixed pickup days, and Center City routes must finish by 8 a.m. the next morning.

Key details: Annual fee: $605 per dwelling unit. Center City pickup deadline: 8 a.m. the next day. Other zones pickup deadline: 12 p.m. the next day. Mandatory enrollment: Buildings of 25 units or fewer. Large complexes (26+ units): Excluded, must contract privately.

Placing waste or recycling out without paying the annual fee is itself a violation under Section 525-2.C(1)(a). General violations of the article are punishable, upon conviction, by a fine of up to $1,000 or imprisonment up to 90 days, with each day a violation continues treated as a separate offense; unpaid fees also accrue a 5% or 10% late penalty plus collection costs.

Recycling Rules

Recyclables in Allentown must be prepared and placed at curbside separate from trash, remaining the resident's property until the City's contractor collects them. Picking through curbside recycling without authorization, or damaging or misusing a City-issued recycling bin, is a distinct violation carrying its own steep fine.

Key details: Recyclables ownership: Resident's, until City collects them. Scavenging: Banned; separate offense per pickup. Bin marking: Must show address and apartment number. Bin misuse fine: Up to $1,000. Standard violation fine: $25 / $50 / $100, 1st-3rd conviction.

Section 525-24.C sets the standard recycling fine schedule at $25 for a first conviction, $50 for a second, and $100 for a third or subsequent conviction, but carves out scavenging and bin misuse: convictions under Section 525-16 (unauthorized collection) or Section 525-17 (bin damage or misuse) are instead punishable by a fine of up to $1,000, reflecting the City's treatment of those acts as more serious than an ordinary separation lapse.

Recycling Requirements

Allentown requires every property in the City Curbside Collection Program to source-separate designated recyclables, including glass, cans, paper, plastics and appliances, and set them out weekly on the day assigned to their district. Skipping recycling or mixing it with trash violates Chapter 525's residential recycling program.

Key details: Collection frequency: Once per week, by district. Materials covered: Paper, glass, cans, plastics, appliances. Refrigerant appliance fee: $20, prepaid. First-conviction fine: $25. Second/third conviction fine: $50 / $100.

General violations of the residential recycling article are punishable under Section 525-24.C by a fine of $25 on a first conviction, $50 on a second, and $100 on a third or subsequent conviction. Placing a refrigerant appliance at the curb without prepaying the $20 fee is a separate violation under Section 525-14.F(2), and each continuing day of noncompliance is a distinct offense under Section 525-21.D.

Illegal Dumping

Dumping trash, debris, appliances, tires, vehicles, construction material or hazardous waste on public or private property in Allentown is banned outright under § 393-7. A violation carries a fine of $1,000 to $5,000 per offense plus the City's full cleanup costs, and violators cannot use the ticket-and-waive option available for other neighborhood improvement offenses.

Key details: Governing section: Code § 393-7 (Neighborhood Improvement). Fine range: $1,000 or $5,000 per offense. Cleanup costs: Violator pays City's full abatement cost. Ticket waiver: Not available for dumping (§ 393-20A(4)). Late penalty: $100 added after 10 unpaid days.

Illegal dumping under § 393-7 is punishable by a fine of $1,000 or $5,000 per offense plus the City's full direct and indirect cleanup and abatement costs. Violators lose access to the standard 10-day admit-and-pay option available for other Chapter 393 offenses, face a $100 late penalty if unresolved after 10 days, and can be issued a citation if the ticket is not resolved within 20 days (§ 393-20).

This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. Allentown actively enforces its illegal dumping requirements.

Dumpster Rules

Placing a dumpster in an Allentown street right-of-way requires a use permit from the Director of Community and Economic Development, reflective tape marking in the cartway, and a monthly fee of $35 for dumpsters up to 20 cubic yards or $55 for larger ones. Covered dumpsters are required during nonuse periods.

Key details: Governing section: Code § 545-46 (Temporary Obstructions). Permit issuer: Director of Community & Economic Development. Fee, dumpster 20 cu yd or less: $35 per month. Fee, dumpster over 20 cu yd: $55 per month. Marking requirement: Reflective tape in the cartway.

Placing or keeping a dumpster in the right-of-way without a permit, or violating any condition of § 545-46, is punishable under § 545-52 by a fine of up to $1,000 or up to 90 days in jail, or both, with each day of the violation counting as a separate offense. The City can also revoke the use permit outright for a violation (§ 545-51).

Pickup Rules & Schedules

Allentown households may set out no more than five thirty-gallon trash bags, capped at 40 pounds each, or two thirty-two-gallon containers, capped at 70 pounds each, per collection night. Exceeding the limit, or setting out tires, hazardous waste, liquid paint or heavy construction debris, violates the municipal waste article.

Key details: Bag limit: 5 thirty-gallon bags, 40 lbs each. Container limit: 2 thirty-two-gallon cans, 70 lbs each. Banned curbside items: Tires, hazardous waste, liquid paint. Violation ticket range: $25 or $100. Max citation fine: $1,000 or 90 days per day.

Exceeding the nightly bag or container limit, or curbing a prohibited material, is a violation of Chapter 525 subject to a $25 or $100 violation ticket under Section 525-12.A, escalating to a $10 or $25 penalty if unpaid after 10 days, and to a citation carrying a fine up to $1,000 or 90 days' imprisonment for each day the violation continues under Section 525-12.C.

Bulk Item Disposal

Allentown allows one bulk item, like furniture or a mattress, or up to 40 pounds of construction material out for collection only on the second designated collection night of the week. Extra bulk items, construction material or trash bags cost $15 each, prepaid to the Bureau of Recycling and Solid Waste before pickup.

Key details: Weekly allowance: 1 bulk item per household. Bulk collection night: Second designated night only. Construction material cap: 40 lbs, 4 ft max length. Extra-item fee: $15, prepaid before pickup. Excluded materials: Concrete, brick, stone, rock.

Placing out more than one bulk item or 40 pounds of construction material on a non-bulk night, or without prepaying the $15 fee for extras, is a violation of the article under Section 525-4.A(4). General penalties under Section 525-12.C apply: a fine up to $1,000 or 90 days' imprisonment upon conviction, with each day of an uncorrected violation counted as a separate offense.

The Bottom Line

Allentown's trash & recycling rules are a mixed bag. Some areas are strict, others are relaxed, and the details matter. The best approach is to check the specific rule that applies to your situation rather than assuming Allentown is broadly strict or permissive.

These rules come from Allentown's publicly available municipal code. For complete penalty schedules, exemption details, and answers to common questions, see the individual ordinance pages throughout this guide.