Recycling in Pennsylvania

NEW -- Federal Register Notice: Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling Program; Request for Information (6/9/22)

The Department is pleased to share the final report and underlying data of the 2021 Waste Composition Study. Please direct any questions to ra-eprecyclepa@pa.gov.

Statewide recycling in Pennsylvania began in 1988 with the Municipal Waste Planning Recycling and Waste Reduction Act (Act 101) that requires larger municipalities to recycle. The Act established a $2-per-ton fee on all waste disposed at municipal waste landfills and waste-to-energy facilities established grants for local collection programs, public education, materials processing and composting facilities, equipment and technical training. Below are a few other statutes and programs relevant to the business community:

Small Business and Household Pollution Prevention Program Act, Act 190 of 1996, was established to assist small businesses and the public in pollution prevention and the proper management of solid and hazardous wastes generated by households and small businesses. For more information on how Act 190 could affect your business, please visit the PA General Assembly’s legislative text.

The Covered Device Recycling Act (CDRA), Act 108 of 2010, established several requirements for individuals and entities involved throughout the life cycle of certain electronic devices including desktop and laptop computers, tablets, televisions, and more. For a more detailed description of CDRA requirements for manufacturers, retailers, landfills, haulers, and other businesses, please review the DEP’s CDRA General Overview.

The Food Infrastructure Recovery Grant (FRIG) program was developed in accordance with Section 301 of Act 101. The intent of this program is to reduce, to the greatest extent practicable, the amount of fresh and processed foodstuffs currently entering Pennsylvania’s waste stream. Not-for-profit agencies operating programs in the Commonwealth that provide food to the public (e.g. food banks, shelters, soup kitchens) will be supported in partnering with retailers, wholesalers, farms, processors, and cooperatives of foodstuffs to capture apparently safe and wholesome foods before these items become waste. For more details regarding the FRIG program, please visit the DEP’s Recycling Financial Assistance page.

For more specific information regarding different areas of our program, please use the tabs on the right side of the screen. And you can always access our search tool by clicking the magnifying glass icon in the top right corner of the page.