Scranton, PA Property Maintenance: Trash Bin Storage (2026)

Scranton is a second-class A city with municipal refuse and recycling collection operated by the Bureau of Refuse and Recycling within the Department of Public Works headquartered at 101 W. Poplar Avenue (570-348-4180, recycle@scrantonpa.gov). The container rule comes from Chapter 400 (Solid Waste) of the Code of the City of Scranton, on eCode360 at https://ecode360.com/SC1585. The 3-to-26-gallon cap is narrower than the 3-to-35-gallon band used by many Pennsylvania third-class cities and reflects an older standard appropriate to Scranton's dense rowhouse and double-block neighborhoods where collectors carry cans down narrow side yards. Receptacles must have handles (necessary because Scranton has historically used backyard rather than curbside collection on some routes) and tight-fitting covers (critical given the city's hillside topography in neighborhoods like Hill Section and Green Ridge, where uncovered cans tip and scatter contents). Chapter 400 requires the householder to drain garbage, bag it for sanitation, and store the receptacle in the yard accessible to collectors rather than on the public sidewalk between collection days. Set-out at the curb is permitted no earlier than the night before scheduled pickup. Significant snow accumulation in the Pocono/Endless Mountains region (Scranton averages 45-55 inches of snow per year) is the reason the ordinance specifically calls out 'prevent rain or snow from entering.' Multi-family commercial recycling has separate rules at Chapter 400 Article V requiring each commercial establishment to contract with a private hauler and recycle at least once each month.