Allentown, PA Trash & Recycling: Pickup Rules & Schedules (2026)
Key Facts
- Bag limit
- 5 thirty-gallon bags, 40 lbs each
- Container limit
- 2 thirty-two-gallon cans, 70 lbs each
- Banned curbside items
- Tires, hazardous waste, liquid paint
- Violation ticket range
- $25 or $100
- Max citation fine
- $1,000 or 90 days per day
- Administered by
- Bureau of Recycling and Solid Waste
Summary
Allentown households may set out no more than five thirty-gallon trash bags, capped at 40 pounds each, or two thirty-two-gallon containers, capped at 70 pounds each, per collection night. Exceeding the limit, or setting out tires, hazardous waste, liquid paint or heavy construction debris, violates the municipal waste article.
Municipal waste limits. The City of Allentown hereby establishes limits to the quantity and nature of municipal waste, bulk items and construction material placed out by entities included in the City Curbside Collection Program. It shall be a violation of this article to exceed or violate the limits as set forth below: Per-collection-night maximum. No more than five thirty-gallon trash bags, each weighing no more than 40 pounds, or two thirty-two-gallon trash containers, each weighing no more than 70 pounds per container, may be placed out for City Curbside Collection by entities included in City Curbside Collection.
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(4) establishes limits on the quantity and nature of municipal waste that entities in the City Curbside Collection Program may place out for pickup, and makes exceeding those limits a violation of the article. Subsection (a) fixes the per-collection-night maximum at no more than five thirty-gallon trash bags, each weighing no more than 40 pounds, or two thirty-two-gallon trash containers, each weighing no more than 70 pounds per container. Subsection (c) bars entirely certain materials from curbside collection regardless of quantity: tires, vehicle parts containing fluids, nonrecyclable vehicle parts, liquid paint and hazardous wastes may not be set at the curb, and concrete, brick, stone, rock or other material the Bureau of Recycling and Solid Waste determines could damage compacting vehicles is likewise prohibited.
Households needing to dispose of more than the nightly limit must instead use the second-collection-night bulk allowance or pay the additional-bag fee described elsewhere in the same section. The Bureau of Recycling and Solid Waste administers these limits and can adjust related rules by regulation, while police officers and other public officers issue citations, violation tickets or notices of violation for exceeding them under Section 525-9.
Violations & Fines
Exceeding the nightly bag or container limit, or curbing a prohibited material, is a violation of Chapter 525 subject to a $25 or $100 violation ticket under Section 525-12.A, escalating to a $10 or $25 penalty if unpaid after 10 days, and to a citation carrying a fine up to $1,000 or 90 days' imprisonment for each day the violation continues under Section 525-12.C.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Allentown
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