Trash & Recycling in Pennsylvania (2026)

In Millcreek Township, Erie County, Pennsylvania, one exclusive residential contractor picks up trash and recycling…

Allentown households may set out no more than five thirty-gallon trash bags, capped at 40 pounds each, or two…

Bensalem Township either contracts with an authorized collector that all non-farm properties must use, or lets…

Section 1162.09 sets Bethlehem's trash pickup schedule: six days a week, Monday through Saturday, with different hours…

In Bristol Borough, Pennsylvania, every resident, householder and business proprietor who receives collection service…

Bristol Township will not collect household garbage that is not inside the Township or hauler roll-out container with…

Erie residents cannot leave refuse in the street between collections. Only the City or its licensed contractor may haul…

Franklin Township's Refuse Ordinance regulates how collection is carried out, not who collects it. Section 20-104…

In the City of Harrisburg, dwelling occupants must keep garbage, rubbish and ash receptacles and recycling containers…

In Haverford Township, Pennsylvania, the Township collects residential trash twice weekly under a schedule kept by the…

Lower Merion Township's Code § 82-13.1 sets the ground rules for how residential trash must be handled between and at…

In Lower Paxton Township, Dauphin County, residential trash and recycling go in the Township-provided carts of 32/35…

Penn Hills collects residential garbage weekly and confines all solid waste collection to Monday-Friday and Saturday, 6…

City waste and recycling can only go to the curb within a fixed evening-to-morning window set by season, not whenever…

Pittsburgh residents must set trash and recycling out no earlier than 6 p.m. the night before collection, no later than…

Pottstown's noise ordinance, not its solid waste chapter, sets the actual pickup-hour limit: Section 803(2)(C) bars…

Reading collects solid waste and recycling 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and 6:30 to 11:30 a.m. on Saturdays, with no…

Scranton requires every dwelling to use tight, covered garbage receptacles of 3 to 26 gallons, placed in the yard where…

Upper Darby limits how residents may set out household refuse: containers must be metal or plastic, no full container…

No matter where you live in York County, your hauler must deliver household garbage to the York County Resource…

Abington Township tells residents exactly how to set out recyclables and refuse: containers go curbside on the…

Abington Township bars putting refuse receptacles at the curb more than 12 hours before collection and requires…

Allentown residents must keep trash containers off the front porch and may only wheel them to the curbline between 5…

Bensalem Township residents may put refuse containers at the curb or street line no earlier than 24 hours before pickup…

Bethlehem bars storing trash containers in front of a building unless there is no rear or side access, and containers…

In Bristol Borough, Pennsylvania, refuse is picked up from the alley at the rear of a property wherever practicable…

Bristol Township allows garbage containers at the curb no earlier than 6:00 p.m. the evening before collection and…

Erie requires every household to keep rigid, watertight refuse cans of 3 to 35 gallons with outside handles and a…

In Franklin Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania, most garbage containers must be fully screened behind a six-foot…

In the City of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, dwelling occupants must store garbage, rubbish and ash receptacles and…

In Haverford Township, Pennsylvania, refuse containers go at the curbline where the collector can see them, no later…

Lower Merion Township requires municipal waste containers to sit at curbside or within five feet of the cartway…

In Lower Paxton Township, Dauphin County, carts must be at the collection site before 6:00 a.m. on collection day, can…

In Millcreek Township, Erie County, Pennsylvania, residential trash goes to the curb only on the scheduled collection…

Penn Hills caps standard trash cans at 32 gallons and 50 pounds loaded (unless using automated carts), requires…

City code sets exact curbside windows for municipal waste and recycling: out before 7 a.m. on collection day, but not…

Pittsburgh requires trash and recycling containers to be stored in the rear of the property, out of view of the street…

Pottstown bars putting trash or garbage out for collection before 4:00 p.m. the night before the scheduled pickup, and…

Reading requires trash carts, toters and dumpsters to sit in the rear of the property out of public view, be screened…

Scranton requires every property owner to keep durable, covered trash containers stored in the rear of the property…

Upper Darby residents may not put refuse containers at the curb more than eight hours before the scheduled collection…

Pittsburgh's curbside crews skip demolition debris, unbundled brush, tires, batteries, and appliances: residents must…

Allentown allows one bulk item, like furniture or a mattress, or up to 40 pounds of construction material out for…

Bensalem Township collects household solid waste at least once a week, but bulky waste such as appliances and furniture…

Bethlehem has no separate curbside bulk-item pickup program; instead Article 1162 folds oversized rubbish into its…

Bulk refuse pick-up in Bristol Borough, Pennsylvania occurs once each week, with collection between 6:00 a.m. and 5:00…

Haverford Township collects bulk waste from residential dwellings for a fee, only at the curb, and requests must be…

Lower Merion Township does not include bulk or nonprocessible waste in its standard curbside service. Residents must…

In Lower Paxton Township, Dauphin County, bulk waste the weekly collection does not take cannot be stored outside a…

In Millcreek Township, Erie County, Pennsylvania, residents must cut fence boards, limbs, branches and similar material…

Large items like furniture and appliances are collected in Penn Hills only by prior arrangement with the waste…

Philadelphia gives regular curbside bulk item pickup to eligible small buildings, condos and co-ops under Code §…

Pottstown collects bulk waste items through a Special Collection program the Borough Manager schedules under Section…

Reading limits weekly bulky-item pickup to one item under 200 pounds or a construction/demolition bundle under 100…

Scranton picks up large nonmetal items like furniture, rugs and mattresses at curbside with regular trash on the…

Residents already on Township refuse collection can arrange a separate bulk trash pickup for items like white goods and…

York County residents can self-haul bulk trash and special-handling items directly to the York County Resource Recovery…

Abington Township lets residents place leaves curbside for bulk collection during specially designated weeks under §…

Pennsylvania's Municipal Waste Planning, Recycling and Waste Reduction Act of 1988 (Act 101) mandates curbside…

Haverford Township, Pennsylvania, runs a mandatory source separation program under Township Code § 95-25. Residents…

Lower Paxton Township, Pennsylvania, runs a mandatory recycling program under § 165-14. Residents of single-family…

Abington Township requires every residence to separate aluminum, tin and bimetal cans, clear and colored glass…

Allentown requires every property in the City Curbside Collection Program to source-separate designated recyclables…

Bensalem Township requires every single-family home, townhouse and row-home with individual collection to keep a…

The City of Bethlehem runs a mandatory curbside recycling program under Codified Ordinances Article 933. The Department…

In Bristol Township, Bucks County, the Township or its contractor collects source-separated recyclables from…

Under Pennsylvania Act 101, any municipality with 10,000+ people, or 5,000–10,000 with density over 300 per square…

Erie residents must separate recyclables from trash and set them out under the city's mandatory Recovery Program…

The City of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania collects recycling curbside on a regularly scheduled weekly pickup, and…

Under PA Act 101, larger Lancaster County municipalities must run recycling programs. Municipalities with 10,000+…

Lower Merion Township runs a biweekly recyclable collection alongside weekly trash pickup, and requires recyclable…

In Millcreek Township, Erie County, Pennsylvania, recycling is mandatory. Section 110-7 declares glass, aluminum, steel…

Under Pennsylvania's Act 101, every Montgomery County municipality with 10,000 or more people, and smaller ones over…

Penn Hills requires every resident to separate designated recyclables, glass, metal cans, plastics, newspaper, and…

Philadelphia Code Section 10-717 bars anyone from setting out Municipal Waste or Recyclable Materials for city pickup…

Pittsburgh requires curbside recycling under Chapter 619, separating recyclables from municipal waste in blue…

Section 208(1) of the Borough Code spells out how Pottstown residents, churches and mixed-use properties must handle…

Every person and property in Reading must source-separate and recycle designated materials under §496-204, not just put…

Scranton runs a mandatory Source Separation Resource Recovery Program under Section 400-27, collecting recyclables…

Upper Darby runs a mandatory recycling collection program for every household's municipal waste, and residents may not…

Under Pennsylvania's Act 101, recycling is mandatory in 18 York County municipalities, determined by population and…

When a scheduled collection day in Bensalem Township falls on a holiday, Sec. 107-5.5(d) requires the collector to…

Section 20-111 of the Bristol Borough Code lists the legal holidays on which no refuse pick-ups are made: New Year's…

In Haverford Township, Pennsylvania, a week in which a holiday falls on a regular collection day runs on a modified…

Lower Merion Township suspends municipal waste collection on seven recognized holidays under Code § 82-13.1.F: New…

When a regular Upper Darby collection day falls on a legal holiday, residents may not set out ashes, rubbish or…

Abington Township bans dumping garbage, rubbish or any liquid or solid vegetable or animal matter on public highways…

Dumping trash, debris, appliances, tires, vehicles, construction material or hazardous waste on public or private…

Bensalem Township Code Section 107-17 bans filling, dumping or burying garbage, refuse, trash, debris, uprooted trees…

In Bristol Township, Bucks County, throwing trash onto a street, public place or another person's land is prohibited…

Bucks County bars bringing tires, electronics, household waste, refuse or any other dangerous or detrimental substance…

Dumping trash on roads, another's land, or waters of Pennsylvania is a summary offense under 18 Pa.C.S. Section 6501…

In the City of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, dumping waste anywhere not licensed by the Pennsylvania DEP to receive…

In Lower Merion Township, transporting or disposing of municipal waste outside the Township's own collection system is…

Dumping, throwing, or depositing solid waste on any Penn Hills street, sidewalk, waterway, or public or private…

Philadelphia treats illegal dumping as a serious offense, not a litter ticket: depositing trash, debris or municipal…

Pittsburgh bans willfully dumping debris on public or private property, sewers, or waterways, with a minimum $500 fine…

Section 214 of the Borough Code flatly bans burying, burning or dumping municipal waste on any street, alley, public…

Scranton declares dumping ashes, scrap, garbage, rubbish or refuse anywhere in the city, or into its rivers, streams or…

Upper Darby bans anyone from accumulating or disposing of solid waste on any property except through licensed…

Bethlehem bars anyone from depositing or throwing solid waste on any street, private alley, vacant lot, public area or…

Bristol Borough bars keeping garbage, offal, carcasses, putrid matter or other refuse on private property, and bars…

Dumping rubbish, garbage or waste on private, vacant or public property in Erie is a $100 Quality-of-Life ticket under…

In Haverford Township, Pennsylvania, accumulating municipal solid waste on any property or disposing of it outside…

In Lower Paxton Township, Dauphin County, it is unlawful to deposit waste for collection at an address where it was not…

Dumping solid waste or recyclable material on vacant or unoccupied property in Reading is a quality-of-life ticket…

Pennsylvania's scattering-rubbish law (18 Pa.C.S. §6501) makes it a summary offense to dump waste on roads, others'…

Dumping trash on roads, another person's land, or the state's waters is a crime under 18 Pa.C.S. §6501 (scattering…

Illegal dumping is a state crime in Pennsylvania. Under 18 Pa.C.S. §6501 (scattering rubbish), depositing waste on…

In Millcreek Township, Erie County, Pennsylvania, dumping any amount of trash, garbage, solid waste, recyclable…

Dumping trash on roads, another person's land or into waterways is a state crime in Montgomery County, PA. Under 18…

Abington Township requires yard waste, tree clippings, bush clippings, grass clippings, flowers, plants and branches…

Allentown residents must keep yard waste separate from trash and recyclables until collection, unless they compost it…

Bensalem Township Code Section 107-15 requires every municipal waste collector to run at least one yard and leaf waste…

Bethlehem collects yard waste twice a year at the curb under Section 1162.04(f), separate from trash and recycling…

Bristol Borough requires residents to separate leaf waste from other trash until collection unless they compost it…

Bristol Township requires residents to separate yard waste from trash for on-site mulching, on-site composting or a…

Erie collects residential leaves from Sunday, Oct. 4 to Thursday, Dec. 3, 2026. Code § 951.13 puts leaves in open rigid…

In the City of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, material designated as yard waste or composting material shall not be placed…

In Haverford Township, tree trimmings and hedge clippings must be cut to no more than three feet and tied in bundles no…

Lower Merion Township collects leaf waste weekly and requires it placed at the curbline in biodegradable or paper bags…

In Lower Paxton Township, Dauphin County, yard waste means tree trimmings, shrubbery and other organic landscape…

In Millcreek Township, Erie County, Pennsylvania, leaf waste must be separated from trash and recycling, tied in…

Penn Hills bans loose leaves from garbage collection and requires residents to bag leaves and set them curbside only 24…

The City of Pittsburgh collects yard waste curbside on two special days a year, and both 2026 mailers print November…

Pottstown Borough Code Section 208(1)(B) requires every house, apartment and church to separate yard materials…

Reading collects leaves, garden residue, shrubbery and tree trimmings as 'yard waste' under §496-201, but only in…

Scranton collects leaves, brush and yard trimmings curbside from April through November plus Christmas trees each…

Upper Darby requires leaf waste, meaning leaves, garden residue and tree trimmings but not grass clippings, to be kept…

Homeowners composting leaves or yard waste in their own garden don't need a county waste-facility permit, unlike…

Before a hauler can drop a dumpster at a Bethlehem business, the Director of Community and Economic Development must…

Every roll-off or lugger container used to collect waste in Delaware County must be registered with the Solid Waste…

Inserted Section 308.2.3 of Lower Merion's Property Maintenance Code bars storing a dumpster unenclosed on any…

Philadelphia requires a license and radio-frequency medallion for every dumpster used to store refuse or recyclables…

Commercial, industrial and larger multifamily properties in Pottstown cannot use residential can service; Section…

Placing a roll-off container or portable box on any Scranton street or highway requires a permit from the Department of…

A property owner in Abington Township needs a free permit from the Code Enforcement Department before placing a…

County code sets construction, covering and cleanliness standards for every dumpster, roll-off container and compactor…

Placing a dumpster in an Allentown street right-of-way requires a use permit from the Director of Community and…

Bensalem Township Code Section 107-8.2(e) makes owners and landlords of multifamily buildings without individual trash…

Bristol Borough's solid waste chapter mentions dumpsters in one place. An owner of a multi-family structure with seven…

In Bristol Township, Pennsylvania, § 126-3 requires refuse stored on the outside of any building to be in metal…

Any temporary dumpster placed in Erie, whether on private property, in the public right-of-way, or anywhere else in the…

In the City of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, a newly placed solid waste dumpster must be enclosed on three of four sides…

Section 203-521 of the Lower Paxton Township zoning chapter (Dauphin County, Pennsylvania) allows dumpsters only in…

In Millcreek Township, Erie County, Pennsylvania, dumpsters and other waste receptacles on nonresidential premises must…

Penn Hills requires a permit before placing a bulk rubbish container or roll-off dumpster, bars placement in the…

Commercial and institutional properties not serviced by the City must place dumpsters and waste containers at least 30…

Reading requires a Solid Waste Division permit for any permanent dumpster and bars large roll-offs from sidewalks and…

Anyone placing a dumpster, open-top container or portable storage container on an Upper Darby street needs a Department…

Abington Township's Department of Public Works collects refuse from every single-family home and from townhouse, condo…

Allentown automatically enrolls single-family homes, multifamily buildings of 25 units or fewer, and rooming units in…

Bensalem Township requires all household solid waste to be collected at least once each week under Sec. 107-5.5(c)(1)…

Bethlehem collects residential solid waste six days a week, Monday through Saturday, 5 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the south side…

Refuse pick-up in Bristol Borough, Pennsylvania occurs twice each week, with collections made between 6:00 a.m. and…

In Bristol Township, the Township or its contractor collects all residential municipal waste, and owners must make…

Erie runs mandatory weekly residential refuse collection through the Bureau of Refuse and Recycling and bills every…

Franklin Township runs no municipal trash trucks or township-set pickup calendar; private haulers handle collection…

In the City of Harrisburg, the City or its agents make periodic curbside collections of municipal waste on a schedule…

Haverford Township collects residential trash twice weekly, with containers at the curb by 5:00 a.m. but no earlier…

Residents who receive Township trash service in Lower Merion must use it for all their household municipal waste under…

In Lower Paxton Township, Pennsylvania, carts must be at the collection site before 6:00 a.m. on collection day. They…

In Millcreek Township, Erie County, Pennsylvania, residential trash and recycling are collected once each calendar week…

Penn Hills provides weekly residential garbage and rubbish collection and requires households to use the municipal…

City curbside pickup is set by Streets Department regulation, not the Code itself, and only eligible small properties…

Pittsburgh residents may set municipal waste and recyclables curbside starting 6 p.m. the evening before collection…

Section 213 makes municipal waste collection mandatory for Pottstown residences, churches and mixed-use properties…

Every property owner in Reading must have trash and recycling service, either through the City's municipal program or a…

Scranton requires every property owner to keep trash and recycling in durable, watertight, covered metal or plastic…

Upper Darby Township collects refuse directly from every residential building under Chapter 461, billing property…

In Lower Paxton Township, Pennsylvania, recyclables must be kept separate from trash and set out at the times and…

Abington Township tells residents exactly how to set out separated recyclables: metal, glass and plastic go in…

Recyclables in Allentown must be prepared and placed at curbside separate from trash, remaining the resident's property…

Bensalem Township Code Section 107-8.3 spells out exactly what each type of property must separate for recycling. Homes…

Section 933.04 of Bethlehem's Codified Ordinances spells out exactly how residents must sort recyclables for curbside…

Bristol Borough requires residents to separate three designated materials from their other trash and store them until…

Bristol Township sets specific curb rules for household recycling: containers go out no earlier than 6:00 p.m. the…

In the City of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, material the Director of Public Works designates as recyclable must be source…

In Haverford Township, Pennsylvania, commingled recyclables are glass, aluminum cans, bimetallic and ferrous cans and…

Lower Merion Township requires residents who receive Township trash service to separate glass, metal and plastic…

In Millcreek Township, Erie County, Pennsylvania, no person can put recyclable materials out as trash or leaf waste…

Every owner or occupant setting out trash for Philadelphia's Streets Department must separate designated recyclables…

Pittsburgh requires recycling under Pennsylvania Act 101: recyclables must be separated from trash, kept residue-free…

Pottstown Borough Code Section 206 makes recycling mandatory, not optional, for every residence, church and mixed-use…

Upper Darby supplies the recycling containers and controls how they're used: recyclables must be stored until…