Bethlehem, PA Trash & Recycling: Bulk Item Disposal (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing law
- Codified Ordinances § 1162.08(c)
- Bundle size limit
- 3 ft. by 3 ft. maximum
- Approval required
- City Dept. of Health, prior written OK
- Curbside window
- 6 p.m. night before to 8 p.m. collection day
- First offense fine
- $200 or 30 days
- Enforcing agency
- Dept. of Community & Economic Development
Summary
Bethlehem has no separate curbside bulk-item pickup program; instead Article 1162 folds oversized rubbish into its general solid-waste rules. Section 1162.08 requires trash to be bagged before it goes in an approved container, and lets bulky rubbish that will not fit skip the container only with prior written approval from the City Department of Health, bundled to a strict three-foot by three-foot maximum.
Solid waste must be contained in a primary collection bag prior to placement into an approved container. Placement of loose and unwrapped solid waste into a container, without ... primary containment through the use of garbage bags or similar materials, is a violation of this Article. With prior approval from the City Department of Health, rubbish not fitting into an approved container shall be tightly bundled, with the maximum length of the bundle not to exceed three feet and the maximum width not to exceed three feet, and shall be stored in the manner set forth in Article 1162.07.
Full Breakdown
Article 1162, Solid Waste Collection and Enforcement, adopted by Ordinance 2016-14 on June 7, 2016, replaced the old Article 935 and now governs how Bethlehem residents dispose of anything too large for a standard trash can. 08(b) bars wet or undrained waste from those containers. 08(c) is the operative bulky-waste rule: solid waste generally must be bagged before it goes into a container, and rubbish that does not fit into an approved container may only skip that container with prior approval from the City Department of Health, and even then must be tightly bundled with a maximum bundle length of three feet and maximum width of three feet.
07 requires: not on any street, private alley, public right-of-way or vacant lot, and not stored more than five feet from the front, rear or sides of the building except during the placement window. on collection day. 06 to avoid a public-health nuisance.
Violations & Fines
Section 1162.99 penalizes any violation of Article 1162, including placing an unbundled or oversized item at the curb without Health Department approval, with a $200 fine or thirty days in jail for a first offense, $500 or sixty days for a second, and $1,000 or ninety days for a third or later offense; each continuing day of violation is a separate offense, and unpaid abatement costs become a lien on the property under Section 1162.10.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Bethlehem pick up large or bulky items separately?
How do I get approval to put out a bulky item?
When can I put bulky bundles at the curb?
What's the fine for illegally dumping bulky waste in Bethlehem?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bethlehem
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