Bethlehem, PA Trash & Recycling: Pickup Rules & Schedules (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing law
- Codified Ordinances § 1162.09
- Residential pickup days
- Mon-Sat, 6 days/week
- South side hours
- 5:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
- North side hours
- 6:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
- Commercial pickup
- up to 7 days/week
- Container curb window
- 6 p.m. prior night to 8 p.m. collection day
Summary
Section 1162.09 sets Bethlehem's trash pickup schedule: six days a week, Monday through Saturday, with different hours on the city's north and south sides. Commercial and institutional properties can be collected seven days a week. Section 1162.08(d) also fixes exactly when containers may go to the curb and when they must come back.
(a) Solid waste collection shall be on a six (6) day per week basis (Monday through Saturday) and shall take place between the hours of 5:00 AM and 4:00 PM on south side of the City, and between the hours of 6:00 AM and 4:00 PM on the north side of the City. (b) Solid waste collection from commercial, municipal, industrial and institutional establishments may be on a seven (7) day per week basis and shall take place between the hours of 6:00 AM and 4:00 PM, except that Sunday collection shall only take place between the hours of 8:00 AM and 12:00 Noon.
Full Breakdown
Article 1162 governs when Bethlehem haulers may collect solid waste. on the north side. and 12:00 noon. 09(c) requires a hauler to promptly return an emptied container to its pickup point, and obligates the hauler to collect any waste spilled on a sidewalk, street or highway within four hours of notification from the City Bureau of Health. on collection day. 07(b) reinforces the placement rule by barring containers from the front of a building where there is rear or side access, and from streets, alleys or vacant lots at any time.
Violations & Fines
A hauler that fails to return a container, leaves spilled waste uncollected past the four-hour notice window, or collects outside the hours set by Section 1162.09 violates Article 1162; a resident who sets a container out before 6:00 p.m. the night before pickup or leaves it past 8:00 p.m. on collection day is equally liable under Section 1162.99, which fines a first violation $200 and a fourth or later violation $1,000, plus up to ninety days in jail.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bethlehem
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