Centre County Solid Waste Authority

What are your operating hours?
Office:
     Monday through Friday
     8 a.m.- 4:30 p.m.
Transfer Station (Trash):
     Monday through Friday
     8 a.m. - 4 p.m.
     Saturday
     8 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Recycling (drop-off bins outside Authority's gates):
     Anytime
Observed Holidays
     New Year's Day
     Memorial Day
     Fourth of July
     Labor Day
     Thanksgiving
     First Day of Deer Season
     Christmas

What do I do with paint?
Please Note: There is a difference between Latex Paint and Oil Based Paint.

Latex Paint. Latex paint, when dry, may be disposed of in your regular trash. See ideas below to dry latex paint.

If you are simply overwhelmed with latex paint, the Solid Waste Authority's Transfer Station is allowed to accept up to 5 gallons of latex paint per person per day. There is a $10.00 minimum charge for this service. Please note that the Solid Waste Authority will not accept latex paint at our Household Hazardous Waste events.

Oil Based Paint. Oil based paint, when dry, may be disposed of in your regular trash. See ideas below to dry oil based paint.

The Solid Waste Authority's Transfer Station will not accept oil based paint in liquid form. If you are simply overwhelmed with oil based paint, the Centre County Solid Waste Authority holds a Household Hazardous Waste Collection each May. The Authority accepts oil based paint at this event.

Tips to dry paint:

Get a sturdy cardboard box and fill with clay-based kitty litter, pour the paint onto the kitty litter and let dry. Then dispose of this dried mixture with your trash.
Some local hardware and paint stores carry a paint solidifier. Simply purchase, follow directions and when paint is dried, put out for trash collection.

You might also want to visit a website that the paint industry has established.

Check out our paint page for other ways to dispose of your leftover paint.

The curbside driver missed my bin?
Sometimes missed collections are the result of bad weather, i.e. snow. However, the most common cause of missing your recyclables is that the bin is placed at the curb too late in the morning. Our curbside workers are hard at work very early in the morning. So please have your bin at the curb before 7 a.m.

It is also a good idea to write your address on your curbside bin. This will help on extra windy days.

I understand that we can recycle narrow neck plastics. But why don't we recycle margarine containers and other plastic tubs?
The manufacturing process differs from the narrow neck bottles, jars, and jugs than the plastic tubs. Your narrow neck bottles, jugs and jars are what is referred to as blow-molded HDPE while the margarine tubs and yogurt containers are injection-molded plastics. While the polymer (for both blow-molded and injection-molded plastics) is still the same, the length is actually changed in the manufacturing process. This results in each plastic having a different melt index (they melt at different temperatures).

With a population of only 135,000, Centre County does not produce enough volume of the tubs to collect, process and store these plastics. It just isn't cost efficient to do so at this time. Besides volume and cost, the markets for these plastics are not strong in Pennsylvania at all.

What can I do with old medications?

The following are Federal Guidelines from The Office of National Drug Control Policy.

1. Take unused, unneeded or expired medications out of their original containers and throw them in the trash.

2. Mix with an undesirable substance, such as used coffee grounds or kitty litter. This will further ensure the drugs are not reused.

3. Do not flush prescription drugs down the toilet. Recycle container, after blocking out name and prescription number.

Which stores recycle their plastic bags?
Many of the major retail stores and grocers provide bins for their customers to recycle their plastic bags. Stores in the State College area that recycle plastic bags include:

Giant-- both locations (N. Atherton & College Ave)
Wegman's Food
Weis-- All locations
Walmart-- Both locations

Can I recycle my Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFL's)?

The Solid Waste Authority has a free CFL recycling program in place. Just drop the bulbs off at our office. However, we will only accept the unbroken, compact bulbs (the ones that look like ice cream cones). If you have larger bulbs to recycle, The Hite Company, located on Benner Pike will recycle your CFL’s if you have large quantities of them. Hite charges a nominal fee of $.50/bulb with a minimum of 15 bulbs.

State College Borough also accepts bulbs from their residents. Just drop them off at the Borough office located at 243 Allen Street or at their service facility located at 330 South Osmond Street.

If you choose to dispose of your old CFL’s, make sure to seal the bulb in two plastic bags before throwing it in the trash. CFL’s do contain a very small amount of mercury which may be released in the landfills and contribute to water and air pollution.

For information on CFL's, check out this Fact Sheet developed by the PA Department of Environmental Protection.

Where can I recycle my computer and monitor?
The Solid Waste Authority has opened a permanent collection site for electronics. Just stop by our facility and drop your old electronics off for free. You may also check out our Electronics Recycling page for details on the program. In addition, there are also a few local companies that will recycle your computer for you.

Skills of Central Pennsylvania (free service)
State College, PA
(814) 238-3245

Reclamere (for a small fee)
905 Pennsylvania Ave
Tyrone, PA 16686
(814) 684-5505

I have a bunch of old books. Can I recycle them?

Yes. Soft cover books go as they are but must be bundled for curbside pickup just like magazines. Hard back books can be recycled after the front and back covers are removed. Then they are handled just like soft cover &/or magazines. If you do not have curbside service, the books may be placed in one of our drop-off bins labeled "mixed paper".

What can I do with automotive waste, including tires?

Click here to visit our automotive waste page.

Can I recycle my microwave?

Yes. Residents may bring microwaves to the Transfer Station during normal operating hours and place in a location designated for Scrap Metal.

Can I recycle brown paper bags?

Yes. Brown paper bags are to be recycled with newspaper.

What are your tipping fees?

Click here to visit our refuse tipping fees page.

Should I bag my paper?

That depends. If you are a curbside customer, then you should bag or bundle your paper so it will not get wet or fly away. If you use the drop-off boxes around town or the commercial carts, there is no need to bag your paper. However, due to the nature of shredded paper, it should always be bagged in all cases.

What should I do with batteries?

Alkaline batteries, used mostly in toys and flashlights, can be thrown away with your regular trash.

Nickel Cadmium (Ni-Cads) can be recycled. Drop off locations include Radio Shack and Wal-Mart. You may also bring your old rechargeable batteries to our office.

Lead Acid, (automotive, motorcycle, etc.) should be taken to any store that sells lead acid batteries.

If you are purchasing a new lead acid battery, most places give a discount off the purchase of the new battery when you bring the old one in.

What should I do with old chemicals?

The Authority offers a yearly Household Hazardous Waste Collection Event to properly dispose of your old chemicals. Our even is offered each spring and information regarding the yearly event will be posted on our homepage.