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

Pennsylvania's Act 101 of 1988 (Municipal Waste Planning, Recycling and Waste Reduction Act, 53 P.S. §4000.101 et seq.) requires every municipality with population 10,000 or more to operate a curbside recycling program for at least three of eight named materials (clear glass, colored glass, aluminum, steel/bimetal cans, high-grade office paper, newsprint, corrugated paper, plastic). Scranton (~76,000 population) satisfies the mandate locally at Chapter 400 Article V (Recycling) of the Code of the City of Scranton, on eCode360 at https://ecode360.com/11607218. Scranton runs a two-bin separated-stream program (not full single-stream): BLUE BIN accepts plastic bottles and containers, glass bottles and containers, and aluminum/steel/tin bottles and containers; RED BIN accepts corrugated cardboard, paperboard, cereal and tissue boxes, newspaper, magazines, copy paper, and all types of writing paper. Effective July 7, 2025, the City consolidated cardboard and paper pickup so both are collected together every other week in the red bin. The accepted-materials list is published at scrantonpa.gov/what-we-recycle/. Hard-to-recycle items (electronics, batteries, light bulbs, scrap metal, textiles, etc.) are addressed at scrantonpa.gov/recycling/hard-to-recycle-items/ and routed to drop-off events or certified processors rather than curbside. Commercial recycling has separate requirements under Chapter 400 Article V: 'Each commercial establishment, business, institution or municipal entity within the City must employ or contract with its own private hauler for collection and disposal of garbage, trash, recyclables, tires, white goods, appliances and yard waste. Each commercial establishment must recycle at least once each month.' Lackawanna County coordinates regional recycling planning under its Act 101 Municipal Waste Management Plan. Calendars (including ADA and Spanish-language versions) are published on the City's recycling page each year.