Erie, PA Trash & Recycling: Recycling Requirements (2026)

Pennsylvania's Act 101 (53 P.S. §4000.101 et seq.), enacted in 1988, requires every municipality with a population of 10,000 or more (Erie's population is ~95,000) to establish a curbside recycling program for at least three of eight specified materials (clear glass, colored glass, aluminum, steel/bimetal cans, high-grade office paper, newsprint, corrugated paper, plastic). Erie satisfies this mandate at Article 958 of the Codified Ordinances (Separation of Recyclables), which is the local implementing ordinance for the City's Recovery Program. The City's accepted-materials list (published by the Bureau of Refuse and Recycling) covers: newspapers, office paper, and magazines; #1 PET and #2 HDPE plastic bottles, jugs, and jars with screw-top lids (caps removed and lids placed loose); flattened corrugated cardboard and paperboard (cereal boxes, shoe boxes); and metal food and beverage cans (steel and aluminum). Materials excluded curbside include polystyrene foam (Styrofoam), food-contaminated items, plastic cups, plastic tubs, food takeout clamshell containers, and plastic toys - these require drop-off or refusal at point of sale. Curbside set-out is in clear plastic bags or blue bins (resident-supplied; available at local hardware stores). Blue bags are no longer accepted. Glass, batteries, electronics (under the PA Covered Device Recycling Act, 73 P.S. §1727.1), appliances, and household hazardous waste require drop-off at Erie County events or designated facilities; Erie County's Department of Planning and Community Development maintains the regional drop-off list under its Act 101 county-plan obligations. Erie's mandatory-separation requirement applies to all residential addresses served by the City refuse program (1-4 unit residential).