Residential Recycling
Did you know that recycling is mandatory in the City of Pittsburgh? All residents of single-family homes and small apartments (five or fewer) must separate recyclable items from household trash and package them for bi-weekly recycling curbside collection, per City Code §619.03(a). The City practices single-stream recycling, which means all recyclables are combined and placed into one truck and taken to a Materials Recovery Facility, Recycle Source, for further processing.
Curbside single stream recycling is easy if you follow these simple steps!
- Designate a space in your home for a recycling bin.
- Find out what you can recycle from the list below.
- Place clean recyclables loosely in a blue bin not exceeding 35 gallons. Environmental Services will no longer be collecting recycleables in bags.
- Flatten, bundle cardboard and place it into another box or bin for collection.
- Place your recycling apart from regular household trash on your scheduled recycling pickup day.
- Visit one of our drop-off locations if you have additional recycling, shredded paper, tires, or scrap metal.
Accepted Curbside Recyclables:
- Mixed Paper:
- White office paper, newspaper, magazines, hardcover/softcover books, catalogs, junk mail, phone books and paperboard.
- What is not accepted: Coffee cups, shredded paper, greasy pizza boxes, paper plates or other food service ware items.
- White office paper, newspaper, magazines, hardcover/softcover books, catalogs, junk mail, phone books and paperboard.
- Cardboard:
- Must be flattened and placed into another box or bin for collection.
- Must be flattened and placed into another box or bin for collection.
- Metal Containers:
- Empty aluminum, aerosol, & steel cans. Leave labels on, discard lids or leave attached to can.
- What is not accepted: Loose metal lids and bottle caps, metal cookware, aluminum pans and foil.
- Empty aluminum, aerosol, & steel cans. Leave labels on, discard lids or leave attached to can.
- Plastic Containers:
- Bottles, jugs and jars (3 gallons or less).
- What is not accepted: Plastics such as clamshell take-out containers, yogurt tubs, toys, buckets, swimming pools, Keurig Cups, coffee cups lids, plastic lids, cups and garden hoses.
- Bottles, jugs and jars (3 gallons or less).
- Glass:
- Amber, blue, red, green, and clear bottles and jugs (3 gallons or less).
- What is not accepted: Windows, Pyrex, plate, drink or dinnerware.
- Amber, blue, red, green, and clear bottles and jugs (3 gallons or less).
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.
Other Collected Materials
Yard Waste:
- Leaves, garden residues, shrubbery, and tree trimmings.
Yard Waste Composting Collection Events take place in the spring and fall, and we encourage additional material be taken to one of our three drop-off centers year-round.
Shredded Paper:
- Shredded paper is no longer accepted as recycling at the curb. If you wish to recycle shredded paper, it will need to be placed in a paper bag and taken to one of our drop-off locations to be placed in a bin marked for "mixed paper". Click here for more information on drop-off locations.
Have an item that is not listed above? Visit Recycle This PGH for a deep dive into other common items.
Where are the blue bins? The City of Pittsburgh has recently wrapped a program to distribute 100,000+ blue recycling bins to residents serviced by the Bureau of Environmental Service and became bag free at the curbside in 2024. Please visit our Blue Bin Info Page to learn more.
