you make it work!
Every day we encounter
many recyclable items.
By recycling properly,
you help materials get to
their next best use, which
in turn saves tons of raw materials,
time, energy and expense.
Last year, Allentown residents
recycled approximately 6,400 tons
from curbside recycling and 1,700
tons at the drop-off center.
The revenue from the sale of
recyclables in 2014 totaled more
than $400,000.
Allentown received approximately
$280,000 from a Pennsylvania
Department of Environmental
Protection Recycling Performance
Grant based on how well Allentown
residents, schools and businesses
recycled.
WHY Recycle?
Green Bin
Blue Bin
Recycling
Recycling
Plastic Bottles, Tubs and
Buckets marked #1-#7
Plastic Bottles
can turn into
clothing
Mail, Magazines
& Newspapers
Aluminum Cans
turn into new ones
in 60 days
Today’s News
can become a
new cereal box
Aluminum Cans,
Foil and Pie Plates
Steel &
Bi-Metal Cans
Glass Bottles
& Jars
CARDBOARD
can turn into
furniture and
more boxes
It is important to put the right things
Bins Are Free!
in the green and blue recycling bins
to reduce contamination and processing problems. Recycle
plastics, cans and bottles in the green bin and cardboard and
paper in the blue bin.
For our communities
and our families.
2015 Holiday Schedule
jULY 4 – Saturday, Independence Day
No change in collection
Electronics recycling & yard waste drop off cancelled
NOVEMBER 26 – Thursday, Thanksgiving Night
Trash cancelled/recycling delayed one day
DECEMBER 24 – Thursday, Christmas Eve
Trash cancelled/recycling delayed one day
DECEMBER 25 – Friday, Christmas Night
No change in collection
DECEMBER 31 – Thursday, New Year’s Eve
Trash cancelled/recycling delayed one day
JANUARY 1 – Friday, New Year’s Night
No change in collection
All White &
Colored Paper
Cardboard
& Paperboard
Milk, Juice &
Broth Cartons
Books
Do NOT put these items in the bins!
NO Food Waste or liquids
No Plastic Bags or plastic wrap
No Foam Cups or foam Containers
Dear Friends:
I wish to thank you for your continued support
of recycling in the City. This article focuses on
the importance of increasing recycling while
reducing contamination. By doing so, every
person and business can play a role in increasing our overall
rate of recycling. Please take the time to learn what can be
recycled at home, work, school and in our community. This
will result in a cleaner and greener Allentown.
Sincerely,
Ed Pawlowski, Mayor
City of Allentown • Bureau of Recycling & Solid Waste
1400 Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive • Allentown, PA 18102 • 610-437-8729 • www.allentownrecycles.org • www.allentownpa.gov
TRASH RULES
Trash is collected twice a week and one
of those nights is your recycling collection.
Recycling is required by law.
Trash and recycling bins/containers may NOT be stored
in front of the property, including the front porch.
Place trash & recycling out after 5:00 pm and before 10:00 pm. Place in front of your property.
Trash MUST be in bags or cans (not in boxes). Cardboard boxes must be recycled.
NO TVs, electronics or computers are allowed at the
curb for collection.
NO tires, liquid paint, bricks, concrete or hazardous
wastes.
Household trash may NOT be placed in sidewalk litter
receptacles.
Residents are allowed up to 5 bags (40 lbs. max each) OR two 32 gallon maximum trash cans (70 lbs. max per
can) on each trash collection night. Carts designed for
automated collection should not be used.
One BULK ITEM or OR 40 lbs. maximum of contained
construction material (lumber, drywall, sheet rock, etc.) is allowed on your second trash collection night
(Wed, Thurs, Fri).
Anything dumped into storm drains in the
street will end up in our streams. Cooking
oil dumped down the kitchen sink
solidifies, causing sewage to back up
into basements & onto streets!
Not sure how to dispose of something?
Please call Recycling.
Litter attracts litter so keeping
the area around your house
clean is important. Please
sweep, pick up and bag the
litter and put it out on trash
night for collection.
Trash and recycling must be stored on the side of your
house or in the rear of your property.
Remove trash and debris accumulations from your
property.
Furniture manufactured for interior use is not permitted on the front porches or anywhere on exterior of property.
Cut grass & weeds regularly. (Over 10 inches is
prohibited.)
Clear sidewalk of snow and ice within 10 hours of storm.
No large piles of trash, construction and cleanouts on the curb.
Residents and businesses are responsible for keeping
their sidewalk and property clean!
www.allentownrecycles.org
Animal Control
Vaccination and Licensing Dogs
& cats 3 months and older MUST be
vaccinated against rabies and dogs MUST
have a current Lehigh County license.
Information must be provided to the
Animal Control Officer upon request.
BARKING Pet owners must take
measures to prevent their pets from
excessive barking and making annoying
noise.
WALKING YOUR PET All animals
must be secured by a leash. Animal
droppings must be picked up immediately.
No domestic animals are permitted in
the Old Allentown Cemetery, 10th &
Linden.
Look for the new pet waste stations in the city.
These pet stations help areas stay clean.
AT YOUR HOME Animal owners must
provide adequate water, food, and clean and
proper shelter both indoors and outdoors.
Pet owners are required to pick up all
animal droppings on their property daily.
Please call Animal Control at 610-437-7535 with
any questions. SWEEP tickets are issued for
violations of the Animal Control Ordinance.
Recycle Your
Appliances and
Metal Items!
City residents can call 610-437-8729 to schedule a pick up of their appliances and metal items.
There is a $20 fee that must be prepaid for the collection
and proper handling of FREON appliances (refrigerators,
A/Cs, dehumidifiers, water coolers).
The $20 fee can be paid in person or mailed to the
Bureau of Recycling & Solid Waste. Cash, check or
money orders accepted. No charge for other appliances or metal items.
Illegal Scavenging of Appliances
Taking appliances and other recyclable items placed
at the curb for city collection
by anyone other than the
City is THEFT! These yellow
non-removable stickers are
available to help prevent
scavenging.
Please call 9-1-1 if you see scavenging in progress.
610-437-8729
YARD WASTE
RECYCLING
Curbside: Yard waste is collected once a week on your
recycling night. For 2015 it will begin Sunday, April 5 and
end the week of Thanksgiving (Sunday, November 22Friday, November 27).
GRASS, YARD WASTE, BRANCHES, TRIMMINGS, ETC.
Place in a can separate from your trash. Yellow stickers are
available at the Bureau of Recycling and Solid Waste to
identify your yard waste can.
Please DO NOT USE paper lawn bags anymore.
*
Use containers with yard waste stickers as pictured
below for grass and other yard waste.
FALL LEAVES Place in containers for regular collection
through the week of Thanksgiving. Please check the City’s
website www.allentownpa.gov for the fall leaf collection
program information or call the Streets Department at
610-437-7638.
CHRISTMAS TREES and other yard waste are collected the
second and fourth full weeks in January on your recycling
night. Remove plastic bags, stands and all decorations.
ORGANIC ITEMS ONLY!
PUTTING THE WRONG THINGS IN YOUR YARD
WASTE CAN CAUSES PROBLEMS.
Trash and other debris that is improperly mixed in with
your yard waste has a negative impact on processing and
the mulch we produce for Allentown residents and our
parks. Items such as plastic bags, lumber, bottles, cans,
litter and other trash causes contamination in the mulch.
Plastic flower pots may be recycled in the green recycling
bin. Contamination can damage yard waste processing
equipment and increase the cost of recycling.
NO
Organic Items ONLY!
YES
...other Items!
Branches, Leaves,
Grass and Other
Plant Material
Yard Waste Site, 1401 Oxford Dr.
WINTER-February 7, March 7 & Dec. 5 from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
SEASON-Saturday, April 4 through Monday, November 23
MONDAYS-12:00 pm to 4:00 pm
WEDNESDAYS-8:00 am to 6:30 pm (or dusk, whichever comes first)
FRIDAYS-12:00 pm to 4:00 pm
SATURDAYS-8:00 am to 3:00 pm
MULCH AVAILABLE
The city will offer mulch loading services every Wednesday
during the season from 8:00 am to 12 noon. Loading
services will be available for a pre-paid fee of $12 per
bucket load. There is no cost for self-loading material.
There are various grades of mulch, however, the city cannot
guarantee the quality or quantity available.
Payment must be made at the Recycling & Solid Waste
Office, 1400 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr., prior to loading.
No payments will be accepted at the yard waste site.
Self-loading of material is FREE.
Larger loads of mulch by appointment only.
Allentown Recycling’s new
yard waste trommel screener!
The yard waste that is collected from Allentown homes and
also brought to our yard waste sites is a significant part of
our recycling program. This trommel screener processes
ground yard waste. With a large 5 cubic yard hopper, the
screener is capable of producing up to 150 cubic yards per
hour of consistent, quality material. Mulch is available free
to Allentown residents and is also used in Allentown parks,
flower beds and gardens.
Frequently Asked Questions
No flower pots of any kind
No plastic Bags
No construction material
No cardboard
NO litter, trash or any other debris
in the yard waste cans!
www.allentownrecycles.org
2015 SCHEDULE
Do you have paper shredding services at the recycling center?
We plan on purchasing a shredder in 2015. Until then, we lock up
your documents and then haul the container directly to an off site
shredding facility.
What can I do with my fluorescent bulbs? Compact fluorescent
bulbs can be brought to the recycling office Mon-Fri, 8:00 am—
4:30 pm. Whole fluorescent tube & incandescent lamps should still
be taken to AERC, 2951 Mitchell Ave, Allentown, PA , 610-797-7608,
www.aercrecycling.com.
What do I do with my Styrofoam? Small amounts can go in the
trash. Larger amounts can be taken to Liberty Recycling, 526 N. 3rd
St., Allentown, PA, 610-433-0129.
What are my options to dispose of large quantities of trash and
construction material? Please visit www.allentownrecycles.org
and click on the Trash Disposal Options List near the bottom of the
home page.
What do I do with my old paint cans? The paint needs to be
hardened and dried out. Remove and discard the paint can lid. Add
kitty litter or newspaper to help it harden. Place next to trash bags
without the lid so the hauler can see it is hardened.
610-437-8729
Allentown Recycling
Drop Off Center
Join us in 2015
Great Allentown
Cleanup & Earth Day
Saturday, April 25,
or cleanup anytime!
America
Recycles Day
November 15
Watch for details!
Please call to register for the clean-up.
We loan out brooms, bags, dust pans,
gloves and have trash pick up.
In the 2014 Great Allentown Cleanup, 1,500 volunteers
joined us and collected approximately 500 bags of litter and
trash and 50 tires!
We thank:
Allentown Appliance
Bob Benner
Central Catholic HS Environmental Club
Central Elementary School
The Clean Team
Community Action Development Corp.
Community Action Committee of the LV
Girl Scout Cadettes Troops 6783 & 6846 Horizon Church Youth
Group
Grace Lutheran Church
Hamilton District Main Street Program
Harry Crapser
Hope Community Church
Horizon Church
Keenan House
LANA – Library Area
Neighborhood Assoc.
y Humanists
Lehigh Valley Humanists
Lehigh Valle
Loretta Munjone
7th Main Street Initiative, Peter Lewnes
McKinley Elementary School
Mountainville 30 Crime Watch
Properties of Merit Service Corp.
Ritter Elementary School
Mountainville 30 Crime
Watch
Roosevelt Elementary School
Sacred Heart Neighborhood Assoc. of Jordan Heights
South Mountain Middle School
St. James UCC
St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church
Target
Union & West End Cemetery Group
West End Alliance
West Park Civic Assoc.
WFMZ Community Care Crew
WFMZ
Sorry if we missed listing your group!
Thank you to everyone who cleans regularly
to make Allentown Beautiful!
Recycle Your Concrete and Asphalt Shingles
Did you know that 140 million tons of concrete is recycled
each year in the United States alone? Concrete recycling is
becoming an increasingly popular way to utilize aggregate
left behind when structures or roadways are demolished.
Recycled asphalt shingles have proven to be a valuable
additive to asphalt pavement for the past 25 years.
The current benefits of recycling shingles are: diversion
from landfills, replacement of aggregates in asphalt, and
improved rutting performance.
There are local companies that accept these materials. Please
visit www.allentownrecycles.org and click on the trash
disposal options list on the home page for more information.
www.allentownrecycles.org
Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive next to the 15th Street Bridge
Open 24/7 to Everyone
Recycle at the Drop Off Center:
Corrugated cardboard
Paperboard (cereal & food boxes,
tissue and shoe boxes, paper egg
cartons, paper drink carriers, etc.)
Mixed color paper & magazines
Newspapers
Books & phone books
Glass bottles and jars
Cans, aluminum foil and pie plates
ALL plastic bottles, tubs, buckets & containers marked
#1 through #7 (water, soda, laundry, yogurt, margarine,
ketchup, shampoo, etc.)
Metal items (washing machines, aluminum siding,
bicycles, metal fences, etc.)
Clothing, shoes, hats, drapes, etc.
Taking of recyclables and dumping of
non-recyclables is prohibited and subject to fines.
Not Accepted at the Recycling Drop Off Center:
Freon appliances, construction debris, wood, window glass,
trash, mattresses, furniture, Styrofoam, etc.
know?
Did you
The Allentown Recycling Drop-off Center is
operated by the Allentown Bureau of Recycling
and Solid Waste and Lehigh County Juvenile
Probation. Proceeds pay restitution to victims
of juvenile crime.
NO TVs or Computers at the Curb
or at the drop off center
FREE TV and Electronics Recycling Offered to City Residents!
Saturdays, February 7 & March 7 from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
April through November on the first and third Saturday of each month from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm.
Dates and times subject to change.
1401 Oxford Drive, NOT Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive
Accepted items: computers, keyboards, monitors, electronics,
printers, scanners, laptops and televisions* for recycling.
* One projection TV or two regular TVs per vehicle per day.
City Contact Information
Emergency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 911
Police Non-Emergency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 610-437-7751
General Info / Tip Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 610-439-5999
Managing Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 610-437-7781
Department of Community Development . . . 610-437-7610
Department of Finance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 610-437-7500
Department of Parks & Recreation . . . . . . . . . 610-437-7750
Department of Public Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 610-437-7587
BUREAUS/PROGRAMS
Animal Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 610-437-7535
Building Standards and Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . 610-437-7695
Engineering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 610-437-7596
Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 610-437-7759
Recycling & Solid Waste / Graffiti . . . . . . . . . . 610-437-8729
Streets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 610-437-7638
SWEEP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 610-437-7770
Traffic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 610-437-7736
Zoning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 610-437-7630
Printed on 50% recycled paper
610-437-8729