Scranton's Bureau of Refuse and Recycling operates a separate yard-waste, brush, and bulk pickup stream apart from regular weekly refuse, authorized under PA Act 101 (53 P.S. Β§4000.101 et seq.) which directs municipalities to divert leaf and yard waste from landfills. Residents call 570-348-4180 or email recycle@scrantonpa.gov to confirm the seasonal schedule and acceptable container/sizing rules (typically open rigid containers, compostable bags, or kraft paper yard-waste bags). Open burning of leaves and yard debris within City limits is generally prohibited; PA DEP regulates open burning statewide at 25 Pa. Code Β§129.14. Significant Pocono-region snow may shift fall leaf routes.
Pennsylvania Act 101 of 1988 (53 P.S. Β§4000.101 et seq.) specifically encourages diversion of leaf and yard waste from landfill disposal as part of its 35%-diversion mandate, and Scranton complies by operating yard-waste, brush, and bulk pickups as a separate DPW Bureau of Refuse and Recycling stream apart from regular weekly refuse. The published rule on scrantonpa.gov is that 'yard waste, brush, and bulk pickups are handled by the Department of Public Works,' with scheduling and acceptable-container rules confirmed via the Bureau at 570-348-4180 or recycle@scrantonpa.gov. Standard Pennsylvania practice (which Scranton follows in operation though detailed rules are not fully posted online) is to accept yard waste in open rigid containers (with lids removed so workers can verify contents), in certified compostable plastic bags, or in standard 30-gallon kraft paper yard-waste bags sold at hardware stores; pet waste and used cat litter may NOT be mixed with yard waste because they contaminate the compost product. Leaves are NOT to be raked into the street (the rationale, as in other PA cities, is twofold: wet leaves create slippery conditions for vehicles and pedestrians, and dry leaves under parked cars can ignite from hot catalytic converters; piled leaves also block catch basins, contributing to localized flooding that drains into the Lackawanna River). Fall leaf-collection routes are typically published each year by the DPW Bureau of Refuse and Recycling. Significant snow accumulation in the Pocono and Endless Mountains region (Scranton averages 45-55 inches/year) may delay or shift leaf-collection routes; the City's holiday policy delays collections by ONE day when a holiday falls on a weekday. Open burning of leaves and yard waste is restricted statewide by PA DEP under 25 Pa. Code Β§129.14 (Restrictions on Open Burning) and is generally prohibited within incorporated cities like Scranton.
Co-mingling yard waste with regular refuse, raking leaves into the cartway, or contaminating yard waste with pet waste/cat litter is enforced by the Bureau of Code Enforcement (570-348-4193) and the Bureau of Refuse and Recycling under Chapter 400 (Solid Waste) with fines up to $300 per violation, each day a separate offense. Pushing leaves into the public street may additionally be cited as scattering rubbish under 18 Pa.C.S. Β§6501 ($50-$300 first offense plus 5-30 hours mandatory cleanup; third-degree misdemeanor with $300-$1,000 plus 30-100 hours cleanup for subsequent offenses) and creates downstream MS4 stormwater liability under PA DEP's NPDES program when blocked catch basins flood into the Lackawanna River watershed. Open burning of leaves within City limits is enforced by PA DEP under 25 Pa. Code Β§129.14 with administrative penalties under the Air Pollution Control Act (35 P.S. Β§4001 et seq.) and by the Scranton Bureau of Fire under local nuisance and fire-code provisions.
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