Bethlehem does not operate a citywide municipal trash contract: under Codified Ordinance §1162.05(a) every owner shall provide for solid waste collection services by a licensed hauler (Waste Management, Republic Services, Symons Sanitation, etc.). Under §1162.09(a) residential collection runs Monday through Saturday between 5:00 AM and 4:00 PM on the south side and 6:00 AM and 4:00 PM on the north side. Recycling collection is administered by the City under Article 933, runs biweekly on assigned 'A' or 'B' days between 6:00 AM and 6:00 PM, and is mandatory under Pennsylvania Act 101. The annual recycling fee is $70 per residential unit (Article 933 Annex A).
Bethlehem's residential collection framework is unusual among PA third-class cities in that there is no citywide municipal trash hauler contract. Under §1162.05(a) of the Codified Ordinances, every owner shall be responsible for preventing accumulation of solid waste and 'shall provide for solid waste collection services by a hauler' - and this responsibility may not be satisfied by delegation to tenants. Each owner contracts directly with a licensed hauler such as Waste Management, Republic Services, or Symons Sanitation. The 'hauler' must hold both a Pennsylvania Act 90 license and a valid City of Bethlehem Business Privilege License (§1162.01). Collection time windows are set by §1162.09: residential collection runs Monday through Saturday between 5:00 AM and 4:00 PM on the south side of the City and between 6:00 AM and 4:00 PM on the north side; commercial, municipal, industrial, and institutional collection may run seven days a week between 6:00 AM and 4:00 PM (Sunday collection only between 8:00 AM and 12:00 Noon). Recycling collection, by contrast, IS administered by the City directly under Article 933 (Recycling) and Annex A: under §933.03 the City shall provide for collection of designated commingled recyclables from any and all residences at intervals not less frequently than once every two weeks (biweekly) between the hours of 6:00 AM and 6:00 PM, and the annual recycling fee is $70 per single-family residential unit or $70 per unit for multi-family and condominium associations. Residents are assigned an 'A' or 'B' day that does not change year to year (call Recycling Bureau 610-865-7082 option 3 for your day). When a scheduled recycling pickup falls on or after an observed holiday (Monday-Friday: New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day), materials are collected one day later that week.
Failure to provide for solid waste collection services under §1162.05(a) is a violation of Article 1162 with the §1162.99 fine schedule of $200 first / $500 second / $1,000 third+ - each continuing day a separate offense. Under §1162.05(c), upon probable cause that an owner has failed to provide hauler service, the owner shall within 72 hours of a request provide the City with written confirmation that a hauler had been retained as of the date of the City's request - failure to provide confirmation is itself enforceable. Under §1162.05(b), every owner who is not a full-time resident of the City or who does not reside within a 20-mile radius shall designate a manager who resides within 20 miles (cross-reference to Article 1739.02). Recycling-fee non-payment (§933.10(b)) results in a 10% late penalty. Non-compliance with the biweekly recycling mandate is enforced under §933.99 with $100 first / $250 second / $500 third / $1,000 fourth+ violation fines.
Bethlehem, PA
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