Harrisburg, PA Landscaping Rules: Composting (2026)

Chapter 9-307 of the Harrisburg Codified Ordinances, adopted by City Council on 7-3-2018 as Ord. No. 5-2018 and amended in 2021 by Ord. No. 16-2021, sets the composting rules for the City of Harrisburg. Section 9-307.1 is the operative requirement: materials such as leaves, branches and any other items designated as yard waste, with the exception of grass clippings, shall be source separated and collected for organics recycling or composting. The ordinance does not print a bin size, bin material or setback standard for a backyard compost pile. What it prints is a municipal program, and the details of what is accepted sit in rules written by the Director of Public Works (DPW).

The designated composting materials for the program are determined by the rules and regulations the Director promulgates. Grass clippings are the one item the ordinance names as outside the source-separation requirement.

Collection is covered by Section 9-307.2. The Director directs collection and has authority to set days of collection, pickup points, routes, and the type of receptacle and conveyance. Under subsection B, composting is collected by the City or its agents at times pursuant to a schedule the Director designates in the rules and regulations.

Section 9-307.4 says the City's composting program is free to City residents and commercial businesses and that participation in the composting program is mandatory. Section 9-307.3 bars placing yard waste or composting material with municipal waste. Section 9-305.5 requires DPW to provide recycling and yard waste program information to the public, including direct mailings at least biannually. Open burning of leaf waste is banned by Section 9-305.3(D), so the program is the lawful outlet for leaves, garden residues, shrubbery and tree trimmings.