Companies and Organizations who can pick up stuff from you!

• Compostables: If you plan to have your waste materials composted, you will need to contract with a commercial food waste composting company as well as making sure all the materials at the event are, in fact, compostable.
• All Food: For Example: fruits, vegetables, bread, pasta, rice, meat, fish, seafood, cheese, bones, egg shells, and coffee grounds
• All Waxed & Food Soiled Paper Products: For Example: milk cartons, coffee filters, tea bags, napkins, paper towels, paper plates, paper cups, paper food trays, waxed paper cups, waxed paper fry boats, pizza boxes, waxed paper To-Go containers, waxed cardboard produce boxes. NOTE: If a paper product has a shiny coating made from wax only, commercial food waste composters can take it. If the shine is from a plastics-based product, they don’t want it.
• All Plant Materials: For Example: plant trimmings, flowers, leaves, grass, wood, sawdust, wooden crates, wooden chop sticks, tooth picks, etc.

• Recyclables:
• Special Event Recycling Inside the City of Pittsburgh: For events 200 and above the city requires recycling of mandated items. (Plastics (1-5), glass, metals, aluminum, and cardboard.) The city’s special events recycling brochure and environmental services website provide some more information on obtaining containers to do recycling at your event. Plan to contact the city no later than 2 weeks prior to your event. You can still use the city’s containers if your event is less than 200 people.

  City of Pittsburgh, Recycling Division
  Recycling Supervisor: Shawn Wigle
  Phone: 412-255-2631

• Special Event Recycling Outside the City of Pittsburgh: Many municipalities offer curbside recycling, but don’t currently offer service specifically to special events. If your event is small enough then you can collect materials and recycle them through your home service or at your municipality’s drop off center. You will have to provide your own collection containers at the event.
• Commercial/ Institutional Hauling: The city of Pittsburgh has a list of commercial haulers that serve the Pittsburgh and surrounding areas. This a good place to start to find a company that will meet your needs.