This information is intended to assist Northampton
County municipalities with data reporting and other pertinent
information. 
In 1988 Pennsylvania enacted the Municipal Waste Planning, Recycling and Waste Reduction Act (Act 101), which requires counties to plan for the management of municipal waste within their boundaries. Under Act 101, the primary responsibility of the County is to ensure the availability of adequate processing and disposal capacity of municipal water generated within the County.
Municipalities are responsible for the collection and transportation of municipal waste. Municipalities with a population greater than 5,000 and a population density of more than 300 people per square mile are also required to implement a mandatory curbside recycling program. Other municipalities provide voluntary recycling programs through the contracted waste collector, private subscription or drop-off centers.
All contractors collecting, hauling, and disposing of recyclables within a municipality are obligated to maintain complete records (i.e. weight slips, bill of sale, etc.) and return the necessary report forms in order for the municipality to prepare state-mandated recycling reports and for the purpose of obtaining Performance Grant funding. The Section 904 Performance Grant is based on the total tons recycled and the municipality’s recycling rate. In essence, the more our residents and commercial establishments recycle, the more funding a municipality is able to put back into improving its recycling program.
Mandated municipalities are responsible for ensuring that commercial, institutional and municipal establishments recycle aluminum cans, corrugated cardboard, office paper and leaf waste, at minimum. Many businesses in non-mandated municipalities also recycle, but do not always report their efforts for inclusion in the statewide recycling rate. Private haulers account for nearly 100 percent of collection from commercial, institutional and municipal establishments.
Each year the county reports municipal recycling data to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection for use in compiling statewide analysis of recycling and its benefits.
Annual Recycling Reports are due on or before February 1st of each year, covering the period January 1 to December 31 of the preceding year.
Annual Recycling Report Form (with Instructions) for Municipalities
Volume-to-Weight Conversion Chart
