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JLThe Junk Lord
Dauphin County, PA

Junk Removal Across Dauphin County, PA

Harrisburg and Middletown, a county recycling center on South Cameron Street, and a waste-to-energy plant that helps power the State Capitol.

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Junk removal in Dauphin County, PA, for The Junk Lord, means Harrisburg and Middletown. Middletown is 13.2 miles from our York base in a straight line and Harrisburg is 21.7.[1]

We’re locally owned and owner-operated. William answers the phone, gives an upfront price that’s confirmed before we start, and is on every job. Pricing is based on how much space your stuff takes up in the truck, from a single item to full loads.

Dauphin County

Towns we serve in Dauphin County

Harrisburg, PA

Dauphin County~22 mi from our base

Middletown, PA

Dauphin County~13 mi from our base

Where Dauphin County’s trash goes

Dauphin County’s trash is handled by the Lancaster County Solid Waste Management Authority, which bought the Susquehanna Resource Management Complex on South 19th Street in Harrisburg in 2013. The plant, once known as the Harrisburg Incinerator, takes Dauphin and select counties’ waste only, and its electricity powers nearby State Capitol buildings.[3][4][5]

The county’s Solid Waste Management and Recycling department carries out its Act 101 waste plan. Under that plan, municipal waste and construction and demolition waste generated in the county must go to designated facilities, and anyone who collects, transports or disposes of it has to register with the county.[6][7]

Curbside service is set by each municipality. The county’s collector list, last updated March 20, 2024, shows Harrisburg served by City Public Works and Middletown Borough by a contracted hauler.[8]

The Dauphin County Recycling Center

The county’s recycling center sits at 1625 South Cameron Street in Harrisburg, at the entrance to the Susquehanna complex. It opened in April 2009 and serves county residents, businesses, institutions and local governments. As of 2026 it’s open weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m., closed holidays, and hasn’t taken cash since February 24, 2025.[9]

  • Free to recycle: TVs, computers, laptops, monitors, printers, phones, game consoles, stereo equipment, Styrofoam, mercury thermostats, and major appliances without refrigerant, such as stoves, dishwashers and microwaves.[10]
  • For a fee: refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners and dehumidifiers, plus paper shredding.[10]
  • Not accepted: batteries, ink cartridges, tapes, discs, and small electric appliances like vacuums, fans and coffee makers.[10]
  • Household hazardous waste: LCSWMA’s HHW facility in Lancaster is for Lancaster County residents only, and LCSWMA tells Dauphin County residents to contact the recycling center about HHW. We don’t haul paint, chemicals or propane tanks.[11]

Dauphin County housing at a glance

Dauphin County rents more than York County does: about 37% of households rent, compared with under a quarter in York County. Just under half of homes are detached houses, the median home was built in 1972, and nearly 39% predate 1960.[2][12]

Eighteen percent of residents are 65 or older. Between the rentals and the downsizing, the work here leans toward apartment turnovers, furniture down stairwells and full-house cleanouts finished broom-clean.[2]

Harrisburg and Middletown compared

  • Harrisburg: about 63% of households rent and 43% of homes predate 1940. City crews take one bulk item per household per week and fine extra piles, and large appliances aren’t part of bulk pickup.[13][14]
  • Middletown: about 57% of households rent and roughly a third of homes are in buildings with five or more units. One bulk item goes out weekly with trash by 6:30 a.m., and it can’t be heavier than two people can lift. The borough stopped curbside woody waste pickup and runs a Woody Waste Facility for residents with an access card.[15][16][17][18]
  • Both towns sit along water that has flooded before: Tropical Storm Lee’s 2011 flooding submerged Harrisburg’s Shipoke neighborhood and hit Swatara Creek near Middletown.[19]

Dauphin County questions, answered

Dauphin County

Stop staring at the pile. Let's get rid of it.

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Sources

  1. [1] U.S. Census Bureau — 2024 Gazetteer Files: Pennsylvania places (accessed 2026-10-04)
  2. [2] U.S. Census Bureau — American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates: Dauphin County, PA (accessed 2026-10-04)
  3. [3] Lancaster County Solid Waste Management Authority — Our Story (accessed 2026-10-04)
  4. [4] Lancaster County Solid Waste Management Authority — Susquehanna Resource Management Complex (accessed 2026-10-04)
  5. [5] Dauphin County — "Managing Your Waste and Recycling in Dauphin County", PDF (accessed 2026-10-04)
  6. [6] Dauphin County — Solid & Recycling collection service page (accessed 2026-10-04)
  7. [7] Dauphin County — Hauler Registration (accessed 2026-10-04)
  8. [8] Dauphin County — Dauphin County Municipal Waste and Recycling Contracts, PDF (accessed 2026-10-04)
  9. [9] Dauphin County — Electronics Recycling Center (accessed 2026-10-04)
  10. [10] Dauphin County — Recycling Center Acceptable Items, PDF (accessed 2026-10-04)
  11. [11] Lancaster County Solid Waste Management Authority — Household Hazardous Waste Facility (accessed 2026-10-04)
  12. [12] U.S. Census Bureau — American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates: York County, PA (accessed 2026-10-04)
  13. [13] U.S. Census Bureau — American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates: Harrisburg city, Dauphin County, PA (accessed 2026-10-04)
  14. [14] City of Harrisburg — Trash and Recycling - City of Harrisburg Department of Public Works (accessed 2026-10-04)
  15. [15] U.S. Census Bureau — American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates: Middletown borough, Dauphin County, PA (accessed 2026-10-04)
  16. [16] middletownborough.com — Trash / Recycling - Borough of Middletown, PA (accessed 2026-10-04)
  17. [17] Municipal collection program (contracted hauler) — 2026 Middletown Borough Trash & Recycling Collection Calendar (accessed 2026-10-04)
  18. [18] middletownborough.com — Woody Waste Facility - Borough of Middletown, PA (accessed 2026-10-04)
  19. [19] National Weather Service — 4th Anniversary of the Flooding from Tropical Storm Lee (accessed 2026-10-04)
  20. [20] pa.gov — Household Hazardous Waste (accessed 2026-10-04)
  21. [21] middletownborough.com — Leaf Pickup - Borough of Middletown, PA (accessed 2026-10-04)
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