How Florissant Handles Trash & Recycling: A Practical Guide

Florissant maintains 116 local ordinances across all categories, and 6 of those deal specifically with trash & recycling. Here is a breakdown of what the city actually requires, what is prohibited, and where Florissant falls on the strict-to-permissive spectrum compared to other cities.

Illegal Dumping

Florissant makes it unlawful to operate a garbage or rubbish dump or to fill ground with garbage or rubbish anywhere in the City under Code Section 220.090. The ban covers any person maintaining a dump site, not just active dumping, and pairs with the City's separate litter and vehicle-spillage rules in the same chapter.

Key details: Prohibited act: Operating a dump or filling ground with garbage/rubbish. Scope: Covers ongoing maintenance, not just one dumping act. Related sections: §220.280 vehicle spills, §220.290 throwing refuse. Penalty: Up to $1,000 fine and/or 3 months jail (§100.080).

Maintaining a garbage or rubbish dump, or filling ground with garbage or rubbish, violates Section 220.090 and is punishable under the City's general penalty, Section 100.080: a fine up to $1,000, up to three months in the City or County Jail, or both. Because the dump-maintenance language reaches an ongoing condition, each day it persists can be charged as a separate offense.

This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. Florissant actively enforces its illegal dumping requirements.

Collection Schedule

Florissant requires every property generating solid waste to have an active collection agreement under § 220.015. Where the City has awarded an exclusive hauler contract, one-family, two-family and multi-family owners must use and pay that hauler, and unpaid accounts can trigger service shutoff and even occupancy revocation.

Key details: Governing section: § 220.015. Who must contract: Every property owner generating solid waste. Exclusive hauler: Mandatory for 1-, 2-, multi-family dwellings. Nonpayment consequence: Service stop, then occupancy revocation possible. Last amended: Ord. No. 8862, 1-23-2023.

Failing to keep an account current under § 220.015 first costs you your collection service, since a licensed hauler can stop pickup on nonpayment. Left unresolved, the City can revoke occupancy of the premises and the owner's residential rental license, posting a formal revocation notice and pursuing eviction through forcible entry and detainer or a summons for unlawful occupancy.

Recycling Requirements

Florissant doesn't run a mandatory curbside recycling program in its Code of Ordinances, but § 220.040 does regulate the containers: recycling bins for newspaper, aluminum, glass and plastic are exempt from the general garbage-container spec, and any uncovered recycling container needs Public Works approval.

Key details: Governing section: § 220.040. Recycling materials named: Newspaper, aluminum, glass, plastic. Uncovered recycling bin: Requires Public Works approval. Standard garbage container size: 5-95 gallons. Oversized container (>95 gal): Needs Public Works + hauler approval.

An uncovered recycling container that hasn't been approved by the Director of Public Works falls outside § 220.040's recycling exemption and can be enforced the same as a non-compliant garbage container. Section 220.050 treats a damaged or leaking container without a tight-fitting lid as prima facie evidence of a violation, exposing the owner to the general penalties in § 100.080.

The rules around recycling requirements in Florissant lean permissive, but that does not mean anything goes.

Pickup Rules & Schedules

Licensed haulers may collect garbage or rubbish in Florissant only between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., per Code Sections 220.160 (residential) and 220.170 (commercial areas within 500 feet of a residence). A first violation carries a minimum $100 fine, rising to $250 and then $500 for repeat offenses.

Key details: Residential pickup hours: 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily. Commercial pickup hours: 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. within 500 ft of a home. Holiday exception: Day before/after 6 recognized holidays. First-offense fine: $100 minimum. Repeat-offense fine: $250, then $500 per offense.

A person licensed to collect garbage or rubbish who operates outside the 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. window in a residential area (Section 220.160) or a qualifying commercial area (Section 220.170) faces a minimum fine of $100 for a first offense, $250 for a second offense, and $500 for every offense after that, set directly in the ordinance rather than the City's general penalty schedule.

Dumpster Rules

Florissant requires a Public Works permit before any dumpster, construction storage unit or portable on-demand storage container (POD) is placed on a property, and Section 210.1280 caps most containers at one per lot, bars right-of-way placement, and limits stays to thirty days without written consent.

Key details: Permit required from: Public Works Dept. / Building Commissioner. Max containers per lot: one at a time. Max stay: 30 days without written consent. Right-of-way placement: prohibited. POD/roll-off permit fee: $75 each.

Placing a dumpster or storage container without the Public Works permit, leaving one in the right-of-way, exceeding the thirty-day limit without written consent, or storing hazardous materials inside violates Section 210.1280. Conviction carries the general penalty of Section 100.080, and each day the container remains in violation is a separate offense; unauthorized advertising on a container is also a Chapter 520 sign violation.

This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. Florissant actively enforces its dumpster rules requirements.

Bin Placement Rules

Florissant bars leaving garbage, yard waste, trash or refuse containers in front of a building for more than 24 consecutive hours under City Code Section 220.070. Containers must sit behind the building line or be screened from the street, and on Sundays no container may sit out front at all between 12:01 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.

Key details: Front-yard limit: 24 consecutive hours maximum. Sunday rule: No container out front 12:01 a.m.-5:00 p.m.. Where containers must sit: Behind building front or screened from street. Enforcing penalty: Fine up to $1,000 and/or 3 months jail (§100.080). Container size limit: 5 to 95 gallons (§220.040).

An owner or occupant whose container is found out of place is deemed guilty of violating Section 220.070 and is subject to the penalties in Section 100.080: a fine of up to $1,000, up to three months in the City or County Jail, or both. Because Section 100.080 treats continuing violations as a new offense each day, a container left out for a week can accrue seven separate counts.

The Bottom Line

Florissant is tougher than many cities when it comes to trash & recycling. Out of the 6 rules covered here, 2 are rated strict. If you are a homeowner, renter, or business owner in Florissant, take the time to understand these requirements before they become a problem. Most violations come with fines, and some repeat violations can escalate.

All of the above reflects Florissant's municipal code as of our last review. If you need specifics on fines, exemptions, or filing requirements, the detailed ordinance pages linked above have the full breakdown.