Blue Bin Program Aims to Make Recycling Easier

The City of Pittsburgh has launched a program to distribute 100,000+ blue recycling bins to residents and become bag free by 2023. The goal is to make recycling easier for residents and reduce recycling contamination. Each residence serviced by the Bureau of Environmental Services will receive a 32-gallon blue recycling bin with a tight-fitting lid attached and an information packet. All recycling bins will be manufactured in Pennsylvania by The Rehrig-Pacific Company.

Blue Bin Distribution Schedule

The program started in the fall of 2020 and will run through spring 2023. Residents will receive a mailer two weeks before receiving a blue bin. All single-family homes, duplexes, and apartments with five units or less are automatically eligible for a new recycling container through this program. Find out approximately when you will receive a blue bin:

Recycling Contamination, and Why It Matters?

One of the biggest challenges facing recycling right now is contamination by wishful recycling or “wish-cycling”. This happens when non-recyclable objects are placed in the recycling bin with the wish it will be recycled. Additionally, recycling contamination occurs when food residue, liquids, and unacceptable materials (such as batteries, sharps, extra plastic bags, food waste, and greasy pizza boxes), are placed into the recycling can. Contaminants not only degrade the materials, boosting costs, but they can potentially cause harm to the Material Recovery Facility (MRF) and city employees.

Bag Free in 2023

The City of Pittsburgh is making a significant shift away from a bag-based collection program. While the blue plastic bag has long been a part of the Pittsburgh recycling collection system, the city must stop packaging recyclables in plastic bags. Plastic bags can degrade recyclables making the materials tough to sort when delivered to the MRF.