Weekly Collection Schedule
Official municipal pickup timing for Erie
Pennsylvania waste collection runs weekly, with exact days varying by local township, borough, or city routing schedules.
State Mandate
Follow Act 101 guidelines for mandatory community recycling.
Any standard color or bags Bin (Trash)
All household refuse must be in bags or cans. Do not place items on the curb more than 24 hours prior to your scheduled collection day per City code.
Accepted Items
- ✓Regular household refuse
- ✓Food waste
- ✓Non-recyclable plastics and caps
Blue bin or clear plastic bag Bin (Recycling)
Blue bins are not provided by the city. Recyclables must be clearly visible. If a bag is contaminated with trash or food, the entire batch will be treated as garbage.
Accepted Items
- ✓Newspaper, office paper, and magazines
- ✓Junk mail (larger than 2x2 inches, no plastic windows)
- ✓Plastic #1 and #2 bottles, jugs, and jars with screw-top lids
- ✓Shredded paper (must be sealed in its own separate clear bag)
Do NOT Include
- ✕Blue-tinted recycling bags
- ✕Styrofoam
- ✕Clam shells and food take-out containers
- ✕Plastic caps and lids
- ✕Plastics #3 through #7
Yard Waste Bin
Must be in an open hard container (50 lb limit) or a brown paper bag labeled 'Lawn & Leaf'. Plastic bags are prohibited. Large branches must be bundled and placed out with regular trash.
Accepted Items
- ✓Grass clippings
- ✓Hedge and shrub trimmings
- ✓Garden clippings
- ✓Leaves
Bulky Item Pickup
Frequency
By appointment only (limit of up to 3 bulky items per scheduled pickup)
Placement
Items must be placed curbside on the night of your scheduled pickup. Glass must be removed from furniture, placed in a box, and explicitly labeled 'GLASS'. Do not block parked vehicles.
Accepted
- ✓ Couches, chairs, and tables
- ✓ Dressers and household furniture
- ✓ Mattresses
- ✓ Carpet (must be cut into 4-foot sections, rolled and tied; maximum of 4 rolls per pickup)
Not Accepted
- ✕ Large appliances (washers, dryers, refrigerators)
- ✕ Automotive parts and tires
- ✕ Electronic devices (televisions, computers, monitors)
- ✕ Construction materials (wood, drywall, tile)
- ✕ Household hazardous waste
This is a free service provided exclusively to residential refuse customers of the City of Erie, but failure to secure a confirmation number can result in illegal dumping citations.
Holiday Schedule
General Rule
When a major holiday falls on a weekday, trash and recycling pickups are delayed by one day for the rest of that week.
Yard Waste Exception
Compost collection follows the exact same holiday delay schedule as refuse during the active season (March to December).
Residents are encouraged to consult the annual City of Erie Calendar and Recycling Guide for exact holiday delay dates affecting the Bureau of Refuse.
Observed Holidays
!Contamination Tips
Keep Shredded Paper Separated
Any shredded paper must be placed in its own individual clear plastic bag, completely separate from your other recyclables. If left loose, pieces smaller than 2 inches will fall through the sorting grates at the recycling facility and end up as garbage.
Plastic Caps Belong in the Trash
While the City of Erie actively accepts #1 and #2 plastic bottles, jugs, and jars, the actual screw-top lids and caps are not recyclable under the current vendor's guidelines. Remove all caps and throw them in your regular household trash before recycling the bottle.
No Blue Bags Allowed
Do not use blue-tinted plastic bags for your recyclables. The city's recycling vendor requires all items to be clearly visible to check for contamination, so you must use either transparent clear plastic bags or a hard-sided open blue bin.
Seasonal Information
Winter
December to FebruaryErie's compost and yard waste collection officially halts in early December and remains suspended until early March. During intense winter snow squalls off Lake Erie, the Bureau of Streets relies on strict snow emergency parking rules (odd-even parking) to plow efficiently, which can occasionally impact the timing of neighborhood trash collections.
Spring
March to MayThe City of Erie Compost Season typically kicks off during the second week of March. As spring cleaning begins, residents should keep an eye out for the city's annual free tire and electronics drop-off events, typically held at the Municipal Garage Complex in May.
Holidays
Year-RoundWhen a major city-observed holiday falls on a weekday, trash and recycling collection is typically delayed by one day for the remainder of the week (e.g., Wednesday pickup shifts to Thursday). The compost collection schedule follows this same delay rule during its active season.
About Erie Waste Management
Curbside Refuse and Blue Bin Recycling Regulations
The City of Erie's Bureau of Refuse manages standard weekly household garbage, requiring all waste to be secured in bags or standard trash cans. Unlike many municipalities that provide uniform automated carts, Erie allows residents to purchase their own bins or use clear plastic bags. For recycling, you must use clear bags or personal blue bins—which can be purchased at most local hardware stores—as blue-tinted recycling bags are no longer accepted.
Mandatory Confirmation for Bulky Item Pickup
Erie provides an excellent free bulk waste service for its residential refuse customers, picking up large household items like couches or dressers. However, it is strictly enforced that residents must call (814) 870-1550 on weekdays to schedule the pickup and obtain a 6-digit confirmation number. Setting bulky items out on the curb without this number is classified as illegal dumping and will result in a citation.
Strict Single-Stream Contamination Policies
To keep processing costs down, Erie’s recycling vendor enforces stringent contamination rules. If recyclables are not placed in a clear plastic bag or an open blue bin where the contents are easily visible, they will not be collected. Furthermore, if a recycling bag contains any trash, styrofoam, or food-contaminated materials (like pizza boxes or clam shells), the entire bag is rejected and thrown directly into the garbage truck.
Seasonal Lawn & Leaf Compost Program
Running from early March through early December, Erie offers a dedicated curbside compost program for yard waste. Residents must place grass clippings, leaves, and shrub trimmings in open hard containers (capped at a 50-pound weight limit) or in biodegradable brown paper bags explicitly labeled 'Lawn & Leaf.' Loose branches are ignored by compost crews; they must be securely tied into bundles and placed out alongside your regular trash instead.
Drop-off Facilities
Pro Waste Separated Drop-Off
813 East 18th Street, Erie, PA 16503
Materials Accepted
City of Erie Municipal Garage Complex (Special Events Only)
1926 Holland St., Erie, PA 16503
Materials Accepted
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a specific color bin for my regular trash in the City of Erie?
No, you can use any standard garbage can or heavy-duty trash bag for your regular household refuse. However, your recycling must be placed in either a clear transparent plastic bag or a blue recycling bin that you purchase independently from a local hardware store.
Why did the City of Erie leave my recycling bag on the curb?
The city's recycling vendor will refuse to pick up any bag that is not clear or if it contains obvious contamination like food residue, styrofoam, blue-tinted bags, or regular trash. If they cannot clearly see the clean contents inside, the entire bag is rejected or thrown directly into the garbage truck.
How do I dispose of a broken television or refrigerator in Erie?
The City of Erie's bulky item pickup does not accept large metal appliances or electronic devices like TVs, printers, and laptops. You must hold onto these items for special collection events at the Municipal Garage, or contact private drop-off centers like Pro Waste or Lincoln Recycling, which may charge a disposal fee.
What are the rules for putting out carpet for bulky item pickup?
If carpet is one of your scheduled bulky items, it must be cut down into 4-foot sections, rolled tightly, taped, or firmly tied. You are allowed to put out no more than 4 rolls of carpet at one time during your scheduled pickup appointment.