Pittsburgh Curbside Recycling: Accepted and Excluded Items

The short rule: loose, clean, dry, and empty

Pittsburgh’s curbside recycling program is single-stream: accepted paper, cardboard, glass, plastic, and metal go into the same recycling container. Single-stream does not mean every object marked with a recycling symbol belongs there. The City publishes specific shapes and material categories, and items outside those categories can contaminate the load.

Before collection, empty containers, remove food and liquid, let materials dry, and place them loose in the bin. Do not gather recyclables in a plastic bag. The City’s 2026 mailer summarizes the standard as loose, clean, dry, and empty, with no bags allowed.

Recycling is collected every other week. Find the next date in our Pittsburgh trash pickup schedule guide before moving the bin to the curb.

Accepted and excluded materials

This table is deliberately narrower than generic recycling advice. Pittsburgh’s City guide controls for Pittsburgh curbside service. A package’s resin number, marketing label, or acceptance in another municipality does not override the City’s list.

Cardboard and mixed paper

Flatten cardboard so it can be handled and processed. The City says to place flattened pieces into another box or into the recycling bin. Keep plastic packing material separate. A cardboard shipping box is not ready for the curb if it still contains bubble wrap, air pillows, Styrofoam blocks, or plastic film.

Food contact changes the answer. Greasy pizza boxes and food-service paper are not accepted on the City’s current list. Do not hide a greasy section under clean cardboard. Separate clean material only when practical; otherwise keep the contaminated item out.

The accepted mixed-paper list is broad but specific: white office paper, newspaper, magazines, hardcover and softcover books, catalogs, junk mail, phone books, paperboard, and shredded paper in a sealed paper bag. The paper-bag instruction for shredded paper is a special exception to the general “loose” rule. It does not authorize plastic bags.

Glass: bottles and jugs, not every glass object

The City accepts empty glass bottles and jugs in amber, blue, red, green, and clear glass when the container is three gallons or less. Color is not the deciding factor; container type is.

Window glass, Pyrex, plates, drinking glasses, and dinnerware are excluded. Do not place broken versions in the blue bin. For sharp refuse, follow the City’s protective packaging rules summarized in our Pittsburgh curbside refuse and bulk guide.

Plastic: use the shape list

For curbside plastic, Pittsburgh accepts bottles, jugs, jars, and tubs up to three gallons. The City announced that butter, cottage cheese, yogurt, and sour cream tubs joined the accepted stream in January 2025. Empty them and remove residue before recycling.

The shape list is more useful than chasing a small resin number. The City excludes clamshell takeout containers, toys, buckets, swimming pools, coffee pods, party cups, loose plastic lids, food-storage containers, trash cans, garden hoses, and Styrofoam packaging or cups.

Cartons require special caution. An older or out-of-area guide may group cartons with containers, but the City’s current curbside page and 2026 mailer do not list cartons in the accepted categories. We therefore do not tell residents to place them in Pittsburgh curbside recycling. If the City changes its list, the official page is the controlling source.

Metal: cans are different from household metal

Empty aluminum, aerosol, and steel cans are accepted. The City says labels may stay on and a can lid may be discarded or left attached. Loose lids and bottle caps, however, are on the excluded list.

Metal cookware, aluminum pans, and foil are not accepted curbside. The fact that an object is made of metal does not make it a can. The City maintains separate drop-off information for some scrap metal; do not turn a blue bin into a general scrap-metal container.

For aerosol cans, “empty” is part of the City’s accepted-material wording. If a can still contains product, keep it out of the recycling bin and confirm the correct disposal route for its contents.

Contamination to keep out

The City’s current page identifies these recurring contaminants:

• Plastic bags, film, and plastic packaging
• Food residue, liquids, and bagged recyclables
• Electronics and batteries
• Household hazardous waste
• Styrofoam
• Sharps
• Greasy pizza boxes and other food-soiled products
• Durable plastic goods such as hangers and storage containers

Contamination is not merely untidy. The City says it degrades recyclable material, increases costs, and can create risks for material-recovery and City workers. When an item is not on the accepted list, keeping it out is better than “wish-cycling.”

Where common excluded items belong

Some excluded items need a distinct disposal path rather than ordinary trash:

• Televisions, computers, and monitors: use our Pittsburgh electronics recycling guide for the current City program.
• Paint, pesticides, automotive fluids, and household chemicals: use the Allegheny County household hazardous waste guide and confirm residency and registration rules.
• Batteries: keep them out of curbside recycling. The City warns that batteries can create fires in collection vehicles and provides special-waste information.
• Hoses, cookware, and durable household items: check the specific City refuse or drop-off rule rather than placing them in the blue bin.

Set out recycling correctly

Use the exact address to verify the every-other-week collection date. The City’s 2026 mailer allows set-out after 6:00 p.m. the night before and requires items to be accessible by 6:00 a.m. on collection day. Retrieve and store the container by 10:00 p.m. after collection.

Keep refuse separate from recycling and do not put bagged recyclables inside the blue bin. Flatten cardboard and prepare each category according to the City’s current list.

A bin-side sorting checklist

Ask these questions before each item goes in:

1. Is it one of the City’s accepted material types and shapes?
2. Is it within the stated three-gallon limit for glass or plastic containers?
3. Is it empty, clean, and dry?
4. Have plastic bags, film, foam, and packing pieces been removed?
5. Is it loose, except for shredded paper secured in a paper bag?
6. Is recycling actually scheduled for this address this week?

If any answer is no or uncertain, keep the item out until you confirm it. A smaller, correctly sorted load is more useful than a full bin contaminated by one hazardous or unaccepted object.