Scranton hopes to increase composting and electronics recycling to reduce garbage going to landfills.
In an announcement Thursday, the city promoted two initiatives in an ongoing effort to help residents reduce their refuse output and properly recycle difficult items.
Composting workshop
In partnership with the University of Scranton, Penn State Extension Master Gardeners and the Greenhouse Project, the city will present the second part of a three-part composting workshop series on Saturday from noon to 2 p.m. at the Greenhouse Project at Nay Aug Park, 200 Arthur Ave.
Registration is free and open at scrantonpa.gov/recycling, with donations accepted to support the Greenhouse Project.
The “Compost 201” workshop will focus on how to troubleshoot common household composting issues. It will also introduce vermicomposting, a solution for many people who wish to compost but have space constraints. Across the country, it’s estimated that a third of all garbage is compostable. If handled properly at home, composting can become a valuable addition to soil that reduces reliance on local landfills.
If you’ve been actively composting over the summer, fall is a great time to spread some of that compost on your lawn or garden. (Wikimedia Commons)
Electronics recycling
The city has launched a new communitywide partnership for electronics recycling that has its partner, Reworld Electronics Recycling, more accessible throughout Lackawanna County.
Reworld, in partnership with Goodwill Industries of NEPA, will allow anyone to donate used electronic devices to be repurposed or responsibly recycled. As the city’s electronics recycling partner in 2025 and 2026, Reworld has helped collect over 8 tons of electronics waste that otherwise might have gone into local landfills.
“Our previous events with Reworld have helped Scranton residents properly recycle their electronic devices. It’s exciting to see their work in the city increase through this new partnership with Goodwill Industries,” Scranton Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti said in the announcement issued Thursday.
Goodwill Industries of NEPA will collect electronics at its Scranton location, 1766 N. Keyser Ave., and six additional locations throughout Lackawanna County — in Carbondale, Clarks Summit, Dickson City, Dunmore, Peckville and Throop.
Items accepted at local Goodwill Industries locations include: cellphones; CRT televisions and computer monitors; desktop computers; flat-screen televisions and computer monitors; laptop computers and tablets; peripheral computer devices such as printers/scanners/all-in-one devices, with all ink, toner cartridges and paper removed; mice; keyboards and networking equipment.
Old electronics are pictured piled up in the parking lot of the Viewmont Mall during an electronics recycling event sponsored by then state Sen. John Blake, HP and Lackawanna County on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2019. (FILE PHOTO)
Regular recycling
Changes made to Scranton’s recycling contract in 2025 continue to make it easier to recycle more products more frequently, according to the announcement. Combined paper and cardboard pickup occurs every two weeks, and commingled plastic, glass and metal recycling gets picked up during alternate weeks.
The city provides new blue recycling bins for commingled materials and red bins for combined paper and cardboard. Scranton residents can request one of each type of bin and schedule their pickup date at scrantonpa.gov/recycling.
Residents with questions about recycling services can email Scranton Recycling and Safety Coordinator Chris McClatchy at recycle@scrantonpa.gov.
Scranton resident Gary Scott picked up some recycling bins at a “Pop Up City Hall” held on Marion Street at Capouse Avenue in the Green Ridge section of Scranton on Tuesday, June 29, 2021. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)