Curbside Recycling

 

Good news! Now you can recycle more containers! As of January 2025, we are now accepting butter tubs, cottage cheese, yogurt, and sour cream containers in the recycling!

Recycling Guidelines

Cardboard Materials

Accepted Cardboard Materials

Accepted cardboard pile featuring cardboard neatly stacked in an extra cardboard box
  • Must be flattened and placed into another box or bin for collection.

Not Accepted Cardboard Materials

  • Greasy pizza boxes
  • Plastic packing material (Styrofoam™, bubble wrap, plastic wrap, packing pellets, etc.)

Mixed Paper Materials

Accepted Mixed Paper

Accepted mixed paper pile, pile contains paper egg carton, newspapers, magazines, brown paper bag, paper towel roll, phone book, and junk mail
  • White office paper
  • Newspaper
  • Magazines
  • Hardcover/softcover books
  • Catalogs
  • Junk mail
  • Phone books
  • Paperboard
  • Shredded paper (in a sealed paper bag

Not Accepted Mixed Paper

  • Coffee cups
  • Greasy pizza boxes
  • Paper plates or other food service ware items


Glass Materials

Accepted Glass Materials

Accepted types of glass include all kinds of colors of bottles and jugs, empty and dry
  • Amber, blue, red, green, and clear bottles and jugs (3 gallons or less).

Not Accepted Glass Materials

  • Windows
  • Pyrex
  • Plate, drink or dinnerware


Plastic Materials

Accepted Plastic Materials

Bottles, Jugs, Jars, and Tubs Now Accepted in Plastic Recycling, Keep Lids Off
  • Bottles, jugs, jars, and tubs (3 gallons or less).

Not Accepted Plastic Materials

  • Clamshell take-out containers
  • Toys
  • Buckets
  • Swimming pools
  • Keurig cups
  • Solo party cups
  • Plastic lids
  • Storage containers/trash cans
  • Garden hoses
  • Styrofoam packaging
  • Styrofoam cups


Metal Materials

Accepted Metal Materials 

Steel and aluminum cans, bottles, with metal lids still attached are accepted in recycling
  • Empty aluminum, aerosol, & steel cans. Leave labels on, discard lids or leave attached to can.

Not Accepted Metal Materials

  • Metal cookware
  • Loose metal lids and bottle caps
  • Aluminum pans and foil

 

 

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 bagged recyclables, plastic bags, plastic films, plastic packaging, electronics, hazardous waste, Styrofoam, batteries, sharps, food waste, greasy pizza boxes, and other durable goods like Tupperware, storage containers, or even plastic hangers—are placed in 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.

 

While these items are not accepted at the curb, visit our webpage for additional waste disposal resources.

Additional Information

Have an item that is not listed above? Please email Please email recycling@pittsburghpa.gov or call 412-255-2631

For missed pickups please submit a 311 request online, call 311 directly, or dial 412-255-2621

AT THE LAST RESORT ONLY, WHEN IN DOUBT THROW IT OUT!

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). Visit our webpage to see the waste and recycling code in more detail. The City practices single-stream recycling, which means all recyclables are combined and placed into one truck and taken to a Materials Recovery Facility for further processing.

 

last updated: 03/31/2026

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