Trash & Recycling in Scranton, PA (2026)
6 verified trash & recycling rules for Scranton, Pennsylvania, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Pickup Rules & Schedules
Scranton operates city-run residential refuse collection through the Bureau of Refuse and Recycling within the Department of Public Works under Chapter 400 (Solid Waste) of the Code of the City of Scranton. Pickup is weekly per published route. Garbage may be set at the curb no earlier than the night before scheduled pickup. When a holiday falls on a weekday, all refuse and recycling collections are delayed by one day for that week. Observed holidays: New Year's Day, MLK Day, Easter Monday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Service is limited to residential customers; commercial properties must contract with private haulers and recycle at least once monthly.
Scranton Trash Pickup (Chapter 400): City-Run Weekly Collection; Set-Out No Earlier Than Night Before; Holidays Shift One Day
Some RestrictionsBin Placement Rules
Chapter 400 (Solid Waste) of the Code of the City of Scranton directs receptacles to be placed by the owner, tenant, housekeeper, or other occupant in the yard where they are easily accessible to the collectors, kept covered at all times. For curbside set-out (no earlier than the night before pickup), the City's Bureau of Refuse and Recycling instructs residents that recycling and refuse must be 'always curbside on front or side of home.' No keeping of rubbish or garbage in trucks, trailers, or motor vehicles on streets, sidewalks, or any City lands for more than one hour. Multi-family commercial properties must contract privately and present materials per their hauler's instructions while still respecting the right-of-way obstruction rules.
Scranton Bin Placement (Chapter 400): Yard Storage Accessible to Collectors; Curbside Front or Side Only; No Set-Out More Than Night Before
Some RestrictionsBulk Item Disposal
Yard waste, brush, and bulk-item pickups in Scranton are operated by the Department of Public Works through the Bureau of Refuse and Recycling, separate from regular weekly refuse. Residents call 570-348-4180 or email recycle@scrantonpa.gov to schedule and confirm rules. Electronics (TVs, monitors, laptops, peripherals) cannot be set out curbside under the PA Covered Device Recycling Act (73 P.S. §1727.1 et seq.); appliances containing refrigerants (refrigerators, AC units) require EPA Section 608 freon evacuation before any landfill accepts them. Hazardous materials and construction debris are not eligible. The City also runs periodic electronics-recycling collection events announced through the DPW.
Scranton Bulk/Large Item Disposal: DPW-Operated Bulk Pickups; Electronics & Appliances Excluded; Call 570-348-4180
Some RestrictionsRecycling Requirements
Scranton's mandatory recycling program is codified at Chapter 400 Article V (Recycling) of the Code of the City of Scranton, the local implementation of PA Act 101 of 1988 (Municipal Waste Planning, Recycling and Waste Reduction Act, 53 P.S. §4000.101 et seq.), which requires every PA municipality of 10,000+ population (Scranton ~76,000) to operate curbside recycling. Residents separate materials into two bins: BLUE bin for plastic bottles/containers, glass bottles/containers, and aluminum/steel/tin bottles/containers; RED bin for corrugated cardboard, paperboard, cereal/tissue boxes, newspaper, magazines, copy paper, and all writing paper. Starting July 7, 2025, cardboard and paper are collected together every other week. Violations of Chapter 400's recycling sections are subject to fines not to exceed $300.
Scranton Mandatory Recycling (Chapter 400 Article V): Single-Stream Required Under PA Act 101 (53 P.S. §4000.101); Blue + Red Bins; $300 Max Fine
Heavy RestrictionsIllegal Dumping
Illegal dumping in Scranton is enforced under three layered authorities: (1) 18 Pa.C.S. §6501 (Scattering Rubbish), Pennsylvania's criminal statute making it a summary offense to deposit waste paper, ashes, household waste, glass, metal, refuse, or rubbish onto roads, streets, alleys, railroad rights-of-way, the land of another, or waters of the Commonwealth ($50-$300 first offense plus 5-30 hours mandatory cleanup; third-degree misdemeanor with $300-$1,000 and 30-100 hours cleanup for subsequent offenses); (2) Chapter 400 (Solid Waste) of the Code of the City of Scranton with general penalty up to $300 per violation including the >1-hour ban on garbage stored in vehicles on streets/sidewalks; and (3) the PA Solid Waste Management Act (35 P.S. §6018.101) for larger-scale dumping referred to PA DEP.
Scranton Illegal Dumping: 18 Pa.C.S. §6501 Scattering Rubbish ($50-$300 + 5-30 Hrs Cleanup); Chapter 400 Local Penalty; PA Act 90 Permit Backstop
Heavy RestrictionsYard Waste Collection
Scranton's Bureau of Refuse and Recycling operates a separate yard-waste, brush, and bulk pickup stream apart from regular weekly refuse, authorized under PA Act 101 (53 P.S. §4000.101 et seq.) which directs municipalities to divert leaf and yard waste from landfills. Residents call 570-348-4180 or email recycle@scrantonpa.gov to confirm the seasonal schedule and acceptable container/sizing rules (typically open rigid containers, compostable bags, or kraft paper yard-waste bags). Open burning of leaves and yard debris within City limits is generally prohibited; PA DEP regulates open burning statewide at 25 Pa. Code §129.14. Significant Pocono-region snow may shift fall leaf routes.