Scranton's mandatory recycling program is codified at Chapter 400 Article V (Recycling) of the Code of the City of Scranton, the local implementation of PA Act 101 of 1988 (Municipal Waste Planning, Recycling and Waste Reduction Act, 53 P.S. Β§4000.101 et seq.), which requires every PA municipality of 10,000+ population (Scranton ~76,000) to operate curbside recycling. Residents separate materials into two bins: BLUE bin for plastic bottles/containers, glass bottles/containers, and aluminum/steel/tin bottles/containers; RED bin for corrugated cardboard, paperboard, cereal/tissue boxes, newspaper, magazines, copy paper, and all writing paper. Starting July 7, 2025, cardboard and paper are collected together every other week. Violations of Chapter 400's recycling sections are subject to fines not to exceed $300.
Pennsylvania's Act 101 of 1988 (Municipal Waste Planning, Recycling and Waste Reduction Act, 53 P.S. Β§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.
Failure to separate recyclables from the regular refuse stream, contamination of either bin with non-accepted materials, or commercial failure to recycle at least once monthly is enforced under Chapter 400 Article V with fines not to exceed $300 per violation. Each day a violation continues may be cited as a separate offense under Chapter 400's general penalty provision. The Bureau of Refuse and Recycling may refuse collection of contaminated loads, leaving the householder responsible to re-sort and re-set-out (and potentially exposed to a Chapter 360 blight-conditions citation if material is allowed to accumulate). PA Act 101 also authorizes PA DEP enforcement against municipalities that fail to operate compliant programs, though DEP enforcement runs to the City rather than individual residents. Lackawanna County coordinates regional compliance under its Act 101 Municipal Waste Management Plan. Persistent rental-property recycling violations factor into the RENTAL Ordinance of 2022 (Chapter 373) inspection cycle and can jeopardize the rental license.
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See how Scranton's recycling requirements rules stack up against other locations.
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