Allentown, PA Trash & Recycling: Collection Schedule (2026)
Key Facts
- Annual fee
- $605 per dwelling unit
- Center City pickup deadline
- 8 a.m. the next day
- Other zones pickup deadline
- 12 p.m. the next day
- Mandatory enrollment
- Buildings of 25 units or fewer
- Large complexes (26+ units)
- Excluded, must contract privately
- Senior rebate
- Up to 75% of fee, by income
- Late payment penalty
- 5% (2025-26), 10% (2027+)
Summary
Allentown automatically enrolls single-family homes, multifamily buildings of 25 units or fewer, and rooming units in the mandatory City Curbside Collection Program, billed a $605 annual municipal waste and recycling fee. The Bureau of Recycling and Solid Waste divides the city into districts with fixed pickup days, and Center City routes must finish by 8 a.m. the next morning.
The Bureau of Recycling and Solid Waste shall divide the City into districts and prescribe the days and hours for the collection and removal of municipal waste and recyclable materials from such districts... There is hereby imposed upon the owner of each dwelling unit, as determined by the Bureau of Zoning, and all entities included in City collection, an annual municipal waste and recycling fee, in the amount approved by City Council, in the annual budget process. It shall be a violation of this article for a person to place municipal waste or recycling out for the City Curbside Collection Program without paying the annual municipal waste and recycling fee. The fee is $605.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4995055; v49 updated 2026-06-26; through 06-26-2026).
Full Breakdown
A authorizes the City to contract for citywide collection and directs the Bureau of Recycling and Solid Waste to divide Allentown into districts with prescribed collection days and hours. B(4) are excluded from City collection and must arrange private service instead. the next day. C(1)(a) imposes an annual municipal waste and recycling fee on every enrolled dwelling unit and commercial or institutional establishment, currently set at $605, and makes it a violation to place waste or recycling out without paying it. C(1)(d), with a 5% late penalty for 2025 and 2026 rising to 10% starting in 2027.
Owners age 65 or older can apply for a rebate of 10% to 75% of the fee depending on household income, filed with the Department of Finance by June 30.
Violations & Fines
Placing waste or recycling out without paying the annual fee is itself a violation under Section 525-2.C(1)(a). General violations of the article are punishable, upon conviction, by a fine of up to $1,000 or imprisonment up to 90 days, with each day a violation continues treated as a separate offense; unpaid fees also accrue a 5% or 10% late penalty plus collection costs.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Allentown
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