Bethlehem, PA Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)

Bethlehem enforces illegal dumping through a layered local-and-state framework. At the local level, Codified Ordinance §1162.07(a) reads: 'No owner, lessee, tenant, householder or any other person shall deposit, throw, place or cause to be deposited, thrown or placed, any solid waste on any street, private alley or vacant lot, public areas and waterways, both natural and man-made, within the City limits.' §1162.07(b)(3) separately prohibits storage of containers for solid waste, ashes, rubbish, manure, or garbage on any street, private alley, public right of way, or vacant lot. At the state level, 18 Pa.C.S. §6501 ('Scattering Rubbish') makes dumping or depositing garbage, refuse, rubbish, dead animals, junk, sweepings, ashes, or other materials on public or private property a summary offense. A first offense carries a fine of $50-$300 and up to 90 days' imprisonment, and subsequent offenses carry escalated penalties up to $1,000. Pennsylvania's Solid Waste Management Act (35 P.S. §6018.101 et seq.) and PA Act 101 (53 P.S. §4000.1701) layer additional civil penalties up to $300 per violation per day for municipal-waste dumping, and the PA Department of Environmental Protection can pursue larger administrative penalties for ongoing or commercial-scale violations. Bethlehem also defines 'Disposal' at §1162.01 broadly: 'the deposition, injection, dumping, spilling, leaking or placing of solid waste into or on the land or water in a manner that the solid waste or a constituent of the solid waste enters the environment, is emitted into the air or is discharged to the waters of this Commonwealth.' Article 933 §933.08(f) separately makes it unlawful for any person to knowingly or intentionally deposit, cause to be deposited, or assist in depositing in a landfill, incinerator, or other waste facility any designated recyclables generated in the City - a parallel anti-dumping rule for source-separated recyclables.