Yard Waste Facilities

Three of the county's compost facilities will be accepting Christmas tree, leaves and other yard trimmings throughout the winter months.  The facilities may be closed during extreme winter weather events.  Refer to local media outlets or call our office for possible closures during the winter months.

• The Buckhorn facility will be open (weather permitting) every weekday but Wednesday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.  There will be no changes in the hours during the winter season as there were in past years.
• The Duncansville site's last day for Christmas trees and yard waste was Tuesday, January 15.  The site will reopen again in early April each Tuesday from noon to 5:00 p.m.  Sale and loading of finished compost will take place from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. each Tuesday.
• The Bellwood-Antis site remains open to non-commercial users Monday through Saturday. Some closures may occur during the winter months.
• The Martinsburg Borough facility is open weekdays for borough residents only.

Truckload quantities of compost or mulch can be loaded at anytime at the Buckhorn site.

Curbside Yard Trimming Collections

Curbside yard waste collections will resume in April 2013.

• City of Altoona:
  • Weeks of 4/8 & 4/15
  • After 4/15: Drop-off at Highway Yard
• Logan Township:
  • Weeks of 4/8 - 5/3
  • After 5/3: Drop-off at Buckhorn or Duncansville Facilities
• Tyrone Borough: Drop-off at Highway Yard
• Hollidaysburg Borough:
  • Weekly the weeks of 4/8 - 5/13
  • Bi-weekly 6/10 or 11 and 6/24 or 25, 7/8 or 9 and 7/22 or 23, 8/12 or 13 and 8/26 or 27

If you have questions please call 942-7472 or email  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

A loss of funding, precipitated by a court challenge from the waste industry, forced Blair County to close their solid waste and recycling department and discontinue many of their programs.  The IRC Council of Governments will be assuming some of those responsibilities but the drop-off recycling program has been significantly curtailed. The compost facilities will be operated by the IRC COG and remain open to all county residents.

Though this would seem like bad news for recycling and composting efforts in Blair County, we would like to think that the closing of this door might be opening other doors of opportunity.

New Drop-Offs Open!

These drop-off options are available to county residents.

• Martinsburg Area Recycling - Now Open! Martinsburg Borough and Huston and North Woodbury Townships have sponsored a drop-off facility for residents and businesses in those municipalities.  Membership is required.  Call the borough or the township offices for details.
• Greenfield Township Building - Ski Gap & Pine Hollow Roads (Sponsored by Steve's Recycling) This site accepts cardboard, magazines, catalogs and newspapers, aluminum cans and plastic bottles.
• Cove Recycling - 4643 Cove Mountain Road, Roaring Spring, PA on PA Route 164 between Martinsburg and Roaring Spring (though they do not accept plastic, glass or steel cans)
• J & J Recycling - Margaret Avenue and 19th Street, Altoona, PA
• Burgmeier's Recycling - Old Sixth Avenue Road, Altoona, PA
• Waste Management - Old Sixth Avenue Road, Altoona, PA
• Williamsburg Borough - 305 East Second Street, Williamsburg (Sponsored by Paul Kane Trash Removal)
• Frankstown Township Municipal Building - Frankstown Road (Sponsored by Ken Wertz Hauling) This site is only accepting plastic bottles, glass contaners and steel and aluminum cans at this time.

Expansion of Curbside Recycling

Many haulers offer recycling outside the communities where curbside recycling is required by state law (City of Altoona, Logan Township, Hollidaysburg Borough and Tyrone Borough).  A list of hauling companies that recycle beyond the mandatory curbside communities is now available.

We are also encouraging businesses and residents to ask their local municipal officials to consider an ordinance to require both trash collection and curbside recycling.  Since most haulers are already recycling, such a change in other municipalities would not be difficult or expensive.  Call (942-7472) or e-mail ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) our office for details on model ordinances and possible options for municipalities.

If you still need a recycling bin, you can pick them up at the IRC  office, IRC municipal  buildings or highway yards. Our residential bin distribution event the end of October was a rousing success but some residents missed the event.

• The IRC Office at Altoona City Hall (1301 - 12th Street, Suite 8 in the basement)
• The Altoona Highway Yard (5010 Sixth Avenue at Commerce Park)
• The Logan Township Municipal Building (100 Chief Logan Circle just off 26th Street and Pleasant Valley Boulevard)
• The Hollidaysburg Municipal Building (401 Blair Street)
• The Tyrone Highway Yard (1500 Lincoln Avenue)
• The Antis Township Municipal Building (909 North Second Street, Bellwood)

Residents should ideally have a bin with a lid for paper recycling and an open bin for bottles and cans. If you have an old damaged bin or a county bin (that says "Blair County Recycles") and wish to trade it in for a bin that can take a lid, please bring in the bin for a trade-in.  Very large households may qualify for a 25 gallon round container.

Lids are limited to one per household for paper recycling.  Wheel kits are available for purchase at the IRC office to all residents for $2.00 while supplies last. If you have questions please call 942-7472 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .