I had to do some digging to find this information on the City of Pittsburgh website, so I thought I would repost here in case anyone else was looking for this info.
The city’s website is a little confusing and links to some outdated information. The information included here should be correct – if not, please let me know.I’ve added a section for other recycling options at the bottom. If you know of other places to recycle items that are not accepted by the city – please leave a comment below and I will update the list.
Curbside Recycling in the City of Pittsburgh
The city of Pittsburgh offers curbside recycling for homes and apartment buildings with 5 units or less.
Curbside recycling is picked up every-other week. The curbside recycling schedule is available here.
Drop Off Recycling Centers
If you aren’t eligible for curbside recycling or you need to drop off some extra recyclables – the city of Pittsburgh has several recycling drop-off centers.
| Drop-Off Centers | Hours | Notes |
| East End Drop-Off Center (West Homewood/East Liberty) North Dallas Ave. at Hamilton Ave. 412-665-3609 |
Monday through Friday8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.(except holidays) | |
| Hazelwood Drop-Off Center Melanchton Ave. off 5200 block of Second Ave.412-422-6524 |
Monday through Friday8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. | |
| Knoxville Drop-Off Center – New Location 414 Bausman Street (off Mathews Ave)412-488-8341 |
Facility is open 24 hours/ day. | Open to residents, small businesses, bars and restaurants.Does NOT accept yard debris, scrap metal or tires. |
| West End Drop-Off Center Next to Herschel Field (from Steuben St., turn on Herschel St., turn right on Hassler St. and pass salt igloo) 412-937-3054 |
Monday through Friday8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. | |
| Strip District Drop-Off Center (Bureau of Environmental Services) 31st & Railroad Streets (under the 31st Street bridge next to refuse collection offices)412-255-2773 |
Facility is open 24 hours/ day. | Open to small businesses, bars and restaurants.Does NOT accept yard debris, scrap metal or tires. |
| Construction Junction (Point Breeze)214 N. Lexington Ave. (off Penn Ave.) 412-243-5025. |
Facility is open during Construction Junction business hours. | Does NOT accept yard debris, scrap metal or tires. |
What Can You Recycle in the City of Pittsburgh?
| Recyclable Items | Drop-Off Center |
| ALL BOTTLES (Aluminum, Glass, Plastic) & Cans & Plastic Containers 1,2,3,4 & 5 | Accepted at all drop-off centers |
| NEWSPAPER (Tied or loose or in paper bag) |
Accepted at all drop-off centers |
| CORRUGATED CARDBOARD (Must be dry & flat) |
Accepted at all drop-off centers |
| MAGAZINES, CATALOGS & PAPERBOARD (Flatten ALL paperboard) |
Accepted at all drop-off centers |
| WHITE OFFICE (OR COPY) PAPER (Loose ONLY) |
Accepted at all drop-off centers |
| MIXED/COLORED PAPER & JUNK MAIL (Loose or in paper bag) |
Accepted at all drop-off centers |
| TELEPHONE BOOKS – (Loose ONLY) |
Accepted at all drop-off centers |
| YARD DEBRIS (grass clippings, hedges, tree clippings, shrubs, leaves) (Loose or in paper bag – No plastic bags) |
Accepted at Public Works drop-off centers ONLY (proof of city residency required when dropping off yard debris) |
| SCRAP METAL (Loose ONLY) |
Accepted at Public Works drop-off centers ONLY |
| SCRAP TIRES (Tires ONLY— No rims) |
Accepted at Public Works drop-off centers ONLY |
Other Recycling Options
- Bicycles – donate bicycles and bicycle parts to FreeRide, which is located around the corner from Construction Junction.
- Plastic bags and grocery bags – most Giant Eagle stores have a plastic bag recycling box outside of the store. The bag recycling box at the Shadyside Giant Eagle Market District is located in the parking garage.
Even more RECYCLING Information
We would love it if you would add Creative Reuse to this list! And then sometime soon we’ll have to have a conversation about reuse vs. recycling. Both matter, but reuse needs a brighter spotlight. http://www.pccr.org
Does the city offer [to purchase I’d assume] a container for recyclables? Putting recycylable things in blue bags is getting a little old…
Same feeling here, except I’m new to the city and can’t wrap my head around the idea of buying blue bags just to have them taken away with my recycling items (then buying them again and again like I do with trash bags). Seems like a lot of needless waste (and a racket for the blue bag producers!).
Giant eagle bags are blue no need to buy. I have a blue tupperware that I happened to have which came from
walmart.
Thanks for the info, sorry you didn’t include *what* can be recycled curbside; in Seattle it’s all glass and metal, only certain shapes of plastic containers and sizes of lids, so it’s not obvious! Also your link to the recycle schedule is already obsolete; thanks, City of Pgh!
city of pukeburgh is as dumb as a box of rocks… 20times they have bypassed my curb street pickup , ;its getting old..
In California some businesses pay for plastic. Is there a chance of having this in Pittsburgh?