Trash & Misc. Collection
If you live in Bellefonte Borough, you must use the Borough’s refuse collection service, per Borough ordinance. The Borough has four refuse collectors: two on each truck. All containers for garbage shall be those issued by the Borough. Place garbage containers at curb after 6:00 p.m. the night before your regularly scheduled garbage collection day within 10 feet of the curb or street. PLEASE remove your container from the front of your residence and out of sight of the thoroughfare, which fronts your property no later than 7:00 p.m. on the day of pickup. Tickets will be issued to violators of this procedure. First fine is $50, second is $100, and third is $300.
Alternative Collection
When the Borough offices are going to be closed and there is a change in the refuse pickup schedule, the Borough uses SwiftReach to call those residents who will be affected by the change. If you have not been receiving calls from SwiftReach regarding changes in the refuse pickup schedule, and you want to begin to receive these calls, please contact the Borough office to be placed on this list.
Annual Riff-Raff Week
Once a year the Borough holds a Riff-Raff Week. It is usually the week after the Bellefonte yard sales are held in May. Riff-raff that regular customers wish removed from their properties will be picked up at the curb only. There will be no charge for this extra pickup service. The riff-raff pickup will follow the same routes and schedules as the regular refuse collection service, with one pickup truck-size load limit per customer. The refuse crew will not make extra trips to an
address.
Tires, batteries, items too heavy for two men to handle, construction material, paint cans and hazardous waste cannot be picked up during riff-raff. Residents are not to use cardboard boxes for items if it is raining or it is calling for rain as it makes it difficult for the refuse crew to pick up the boxes without them falling apart. The Borough reserves the right to not collect if there is too much or it is too heavy.
Ash Collection
Ashes must be placed in your Borough trash can. The weight of your trash and the ashes should not exceed the weight limit noted on your trash can. Ashes must be cold.
Bellefonte Composting Facility
Bellefonte Composting Facility (formerly known as the Musser Lane landfill) is available to all Borough residents for the disposal of compostable materials only. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic precautions, the facility is has adjusted hours:
Monday through Thursday from 6:00 AM to 2:00 PM
Fridays from 6:00 AM to 1:00 PM
Saturdays beginning April 2, 2022, from 8:00 a.m. until 11:45 a.m.
Composting Facility Rules and Fees
Grass and Brush Container Collection
This service is optional and must be arranged by calling the borough office at 814-355-1501, Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The annual yard waste fee is $15 per grass/brush container must be paid by March 31 of the year.
For a one-time fee of $60, the Borough will provide the property owner with a grass/brush container. Residents can use these containers to dispose of compostable items, such as grass clippings, leaves, sticks, twigs, and various garden waste. No compostable materials shall be placed in plastic bags.
Grass and brush are collected on Wednesdays. Please have your grass and/or brush containers out after 6:00 p.m. the Tuesday night before. The Borough will pick up these containers between April 1 and the Wednesday before the week of Thanksgiving.
Brush can also be picked up as a special collection on Wednesdays (unless it is a holiday week). The Borough must be contacted no later than the Tuesday morning before the Wednesday pickup; it is a formality so the Refuse Crew knows to pick it up. The brush must be bundled in four foot lengths or less. There will be no charge for this type of special collection unless it is an excessive amount.
Additional Grass or Brush Containers may be purchased from the Borough for a one-time charge of $60. If you do not have a Borough-issued container, please contact the Borough office.
Recycling
Residential, Commercial and Institutional Recycling is a mandatory activity within Bellefonte Borough. All residential recyclables and most commercial recyclables should be placed in the red bin provided by the Centre County Recycling and Refuse Authority. The bin should be placed on the curb with your weekly refuse. Click here: https://www.centrecountyrecycles.org/curbsiderecycling for a red bin recycling guide.
Some mandatory commercial businesses and institutions are served for recycling with blue carts. Please click here https://www.centrecountyrecycles.org/businessrecycling for a blue cart recycling guide.
Bellefonte Borough, in cooperation with the Centre County Recycling and Refuse Authority, provides additional convenient collection points for recycling:
- Corrugated Cardboard Recycling in Bellefonte & Penns Valley
- Drop-off for all recycling (including misc. plastic and corrugated cardboard): Municipal Lot (CVS)
Electronics should be taken to the Centre County Recycling & Refuse Authority (253 Transfer Road, Bellefonte) to be recycled.
For more information, go to centrecountyrecycles.org.
Special Collections
Unusually large items and appliances can be disposed of by the Borough refuse collection staff if the pickup is scheduled. A fee is charged for this service. Scheduling can be arranged by calling the borough office, 814-355-1501, between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Fees for items can be found here. If items are not individually priced, the base rate is $36.00 for the first 8 minutes and $4.50/minute thereafter.
Special collections are only done on Wednesdays. No special collections are done during weeks that have a holiday.
NOTE:
Residents leaving container(s) in front of their house and on the sidewalk pose a safety issue. The Borough will levy fines pursuant to the Refuse Ordinance to residents who continue to leave their container out in front of their residence. If you have a specific problem, please contact the Borough at 355-1501.
For refuse billing questions, contact Utility Billing at 814-355-1501, ext. 211.
For refuse collection questions or problems, contact the Borough office at 814-355-1501, ext. 220 or 221.