Pittsburgh to distribute last batch of blue recycling bins to residents

Pittsburgh residents who have yet to receive blue recycling bins will get theirs in the coming weeks, city officials said.

The city’s Department of Public Works Environmental Services Bureau will begin the final phase of distributing the 32-gallon blue curbside recycling bins Tuesday.

The city has been distributing bins as part of the city’s yearslong effort to transition from a bag-based recycling program to a bin-based one.

The final bins will go to homes in the city’s northern and western neighborhoods, officials said Thursday.

Residents using the blue bins should loosely place recyclables in the bin without plastic bags, which can jam equipment at processing facilities, officials said.

People can use the recycling bins for glass and plastic bottles, jugs and jars with their lids removed, aluminum and steel cans and mixed paper. Clean cardboard must be flattened, boxed and set out next to the bin.

Erie-based Rehrig Pacific Company manufactures and distributes the bins.

Smaller, 18-gallon totes also are available as an alternative. People can request the smaller bins by contacting the 311 City Response Center.

The city began distributing its new recycling bins in the fall of 2020. After the remaining ones go out, the city will have distributed more than 100,000 bins.