Harrisburg, PA Trash & Recycling: Collection Schedule (2026)

Section 9-303.2 of the Harrisburg Codified Ordinances, amended 12-17-2019 and 3-10-2026, governs municipal waste collection in the City of Harrisburg. Collection is under the direction of the Director DPW, who is conferred authority to promulgate rules and regulations on the days of collection, pickup points, routes and the type of receptacle and conveyance. Curbside collection is the City's job: the City or its agents make periodic curbside collections of reasonable accumulations of municipal waste from residential and commercial properties, at times set by a schedule the Director DPW designates in the rules. Because the days live in those rules and not in the chapter, the code itself prints no weekday.

Recycling follows the same structure under § 9-305.2, except that the schedule must direct recyclables to be collected on a regularly scheduled weekly pickup. Section 9-301.3 adds that all residents and businesses within the City of Harrisburg participate in source-separating.

Service is paid for by the property owner. Under § 9-303.4 the collection rate for a residential property using carts is $159.23 per year, or $14.25 monthly per cart, for once-a-week collection of up to 95 gallons of municipal waste not weighing more than 160 pounds. A separate disposal charge for residential dwelling units of four units or less is $255.84 per year per cart, or $21.32 monthly. Both figures carry a 12-21-2023 amendment note. Bills are prepared in the owner's name, and the charges are paid in advance. Disposal charges fall on the owners of all improved property, with an exception for an accessory use such as a garage within 60 feet of the property line of the single-family residence it serves, if it is not occupied, rented or used for any commercial or residential purpose.

Vacant property is exempt from collection and disposal fees if the owner or the owner's agent files an annual exemption application certifying vacancy, and the Director DPW or a designee decides. Each residential property can place one bulk item per week at the point of collection; anything beyond that is collected and charged. Commercial owners can seek a waiver from the Director DPW to use an approved private hauler.