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Pennsylvania DCNR Main Page


Proper Disposal and Recycling

Put trash where it belongs
Take the first step to stop forest dumping - and to protect the environment - by properly disposing of your waste. Here are several tips on putting trash where it belongs:

  • Know your local waste hauling service; use them as a resource about proper disposal. If you don't know your local waste hauler, phone your borough, township or city to inquire about service.

  • Ask about special pickups for bulky household items, like furniture, or how you should properly dispose of items in question.

  • Recycle scrap metal by contacting local scrap dealers or your waste hauler; check your local yellow pages under "Scrap Metals" or "Recycling Centers." Some dealers will PAY you for your materials!

  • Consider donating furniture or household goods instead of throwing them away. Charities such as the Salvation Army, Goodwill, or local thrift shops will accept donations of these items in reasonable condition. Clothing and children's toys are usually accepted as well by these charities.

  • Learn how to discard suspected hazardous materials, medical wastes, or animal carcasses by contacting your county recycling coordinator.

  • Look for a motor oil recovery location in your area. Find a local outlet participating in Pennsylvania's Motor Oil Recycling program. Anti-freeze is also recyclable.

Get the Facts from PROP

PROP logo Get Fact Sheets from the Professional Recyclers of Pennsylvania.
(You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to download them.)

Recycling
Recycling
Sometimes household trash ends up at illegal dump sites because people simply do not know about recycling. Every county in Pennsylvania has a recycling coordinator available to provide information on the three R's, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle:

  • Reduce the amount of waste you generate by renting specialty equipment, buying in bulk, purchasing items that are not overly-packaged, and buying only what you need.

  • Reuse items by having them repaired or donate to charities where they can be sold for reuse.

  • Recycle all that you can. Your recycling coordinator can inform you of local curbside or drop-off programs and tell you where and how you can recycle everything from newspapers and milk jugs to tires, motor oil and other automotive fluids, refrigerators and appliances, scrap metals, and automotive parts. Or, check on sites in your area at Earth 911.

There also may be a PA CleanWays chapter in your area - check the Chapter Directory for links to learn about specialty recycling programs they may offer.

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View of Pennsylvania mountain forest ridgeline
Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Forest Land Beautification Program, Edward G Rendell, Governor