SCRANTON, PA. – After building effective solutions to improve refuse pickup and road conditions, Mayor Cognetti’s administration is enhancing another important service provided by the Department of Public Works (DPW): recycling collections. The proposed new recycling contract would reduce the cost per ton of many recyclable materials and allow residents to combine cardboard and mixed paper for collection twice per month.
“We are committed to creating a healthier community for our children and our neighbors,” Mayor Cognetti said. “We are making changes at the city level and encourage residents and business owners to make improvements to their systems to increase how effectively we recycle used materials. Small changes at each household can add up to a healthier community.”
In a proposed contract introduced by Scranton City Council in a 5-0 vote on Tues., June 17, the City of Scranton looks to enter a new recycling processing agreement with Waste Management, of Dunmore. The contract keeps materials processing local and allows the City to take advantage of a regional market rate for recycled goods while capping the cost of commingled plastic, metal, and glass to no more than $96.65 per ton.
Corrugated cardboard and mixed paper will once again be picked up together every other week, with no cost per ton of recycled fiber products. The City would also start accepting #5 plastics – the kind often found in plastic bottle tops, margarine tubs, and yogurt containers – to expand the type of materials that residents can recycle in commingled blue bins. The five-year contract offers stable pricing and service for Scranton.
These improvements deliver results that Scranton residents requested in the 2024 Lackawanna County Recycling Survey, including:
- an increase in the frequency that cardboard recycling is picked up (66%);
- opportunities to recycle more types of plastic (15%); and
- fewer paper-only recycling collection dates (15%).
Residents with questions about recycling services may email Scranton Recycling and Safety Coordinator Chris McClatchy at recycle@scrantonpa.gov.
ABOUT THE CITY OF SCRANTON: Incorporated in 1866, the City of Scranton has a population of approximately 76,000 residents and is the sixth-largest municipality in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Scranton City Hall is located at 340 N. Washington Ave., Scranton, PA 18503. Residents requiring services should visit www.scrantonpa.gov
ABOUT MAYOR PAIGE G. COGNETTI: Paige G. Cognetti was sworn in as the 36th Mayor of Scranton in January 2020. Her administration is focused on driving economic growth, upgrading infrastructure, ensuring public safety, fostering government transparency and efficiency, and improving residents’ overall quality of life.