How Hollywood Handles Trash & Recycling: A Practical Guide

Hollywood maintains 134 local ordinances across all categories, and 9 of those deal specifically with trash & recycling. Here is a breakdown of what the city actually requires, what is prohibited, and where Hollywood falls on the strict-to-permissive spectrum compared to other cities.

Illegal Dumping

Hollywood outright bans dumping litter, debris, dead plants, rubbish or even derelict vehicles, trailers and boats onto any surface area, stormwater system or water body in the city under § 54.29. Violators face a minimum $500 fine per offense plus cleanup costs, with each day of the violation billed separately.

Key details: Minimum penalty: $500 per offense under § 54.33. Banned items: Includes derelict vehicles, trailers, boats. Covered locations: Any surface area, drain or water body citywide. Ongoing violations: Each day counts as a separate offense. Cost liability: Violator pays cleanup and enforcement costs.

A § 54.29 dumping violation is punished under § 54.33: a minimum penalty of $500 per offense, with the violator also responsible for every dollar of cleanup, remediation and enforcement cost the city incurs. The code treats each day the dumped material remains as a separate violation, so penalties keep accruing until the site is cleared.

Compared to other cities, Hollywood takes a harder line on illegal dumping. The enforcement and penalty structure reflects that.

Collection Schedule

Every resident, occupant and property owner in Hollywood must have garbage, solid waste and rubbish removed through the city's Environmental Services Division or a permitted private contractor, and must pay the fees set for that service. The City Manager's office sets collection hours to keep the division running efficiently.

Key details: Service is: mandatory for all residents/owners. Provided by: city or a § 50.05-permitted contractor. Hours set by: City Manager or designee. Deposit refund eligibility: 23 months of clean payment history. Billing dispute window: 3 months from the charge.

Failing to arrange for required garbage removal, or failing to pay the sanitation fees tied to that mandatory service, exposes an owner or occupant to nonpayment procedures under § 50.09, including service charges recorded as a lien against the property. Billing appeals filed more than three months after the disputed charge are not considered under § 50.08.

Yard Waste Collection

Hollywood collects grass clippings, leaves and garden trash once a week on the city's posted schedule, capped at four cubic yards per pickup. Excess yard waste needs a paid special pickup or a franchised hauler, and professional landscapers cannot leave cuttings for city crews without paying the required fees.

Key details: Free pickup limit: 4 cubic yards per collection. Collection frequency: once per week. Earliest curb placement: noon the day before pickup. Landscapers: must arrange own disposal, pay fees. Storm drain dumping: unlawful under § 50.04(A)(3)(c)3.

Setting yard waste out earlier than noon the day before collection, or causing it to be deposited into a street or storm drain, violates § 50.04(A)(3). A landscaper who leaves branches or clippings for city pickup without paying required fees is not a city customer and is subject to fees and penalties under § 10.99 or Chapter 36; improperly placed material left more than 30 days unpaid becomes a lien on the property.

Bin Placement Rules

Hollywood residents must store garbage and recycling carts at the side or rear of the property and can only set them out starting 5:00 p.m. the evening before pickup. Carts must be back in storage by 7:00 p.m. on collection day and placed within five feet of the curb so crews can reach them.

Key details: Earliest set-out: 5:00 p.m. day before pickup. Latest set-out: 7:00 a.m. on service day. Must return to storage by: 7:00 p.m. collection day. Curb distance required: within 5 feet of curb. Storage location: side or rear of property.

Placing a cart in a street, gutter or other public travel way outside the permitted window, or leaving one on an alley without an approved bay, violates § 50.02(D). Where inadequate collection lets trash accumulate into a health hazard, the city can send a private contractor after 24 hours' notice and bill the property owner, whose unpaid balance becomes a recorded lien accruing interest under F.S. § 55.03(1).

Dumpster Rules

Hollywood requires every dumpster serving a multi-family building, business or food-handling establishment to sit inside a permitted enclosure and carry a visible sign naming the hauler and a contact number. Setting a dumpster in a street or right-of-way outside the scheduled pickup window is unlawful, and it must go back into its enclosure within two hours of being emptied.

Key details: Enclosure height: 12 inches taller than the dumpster. Street placement: collection day only. Return to enclosure: within 2 hours of service. Overflow trigger: 2 violations in 60 days. Small-cart exemption: 2 cubic yards or less, hidden from ROW.

A Code Enforcement Officer can order immediate correction of an overflowing or improperly placed dumpster at the property owner's expense, with the city recovering its costs. If a Special Magistrate or court finds a violation of the maintenance rules in § 50.02(B)(3) on two occasions within 60 days, or for three continuous days, the Director of Public Works can require a larger or additional dumpster or more frequent pickups to eliminate the overflow.

Recycling Rules

Hollywood gives single-family, duplex and triplex households a curbside bin for glass, plastic bottles, metal cans, cartons, newspaper, cardboard and paper, rinsed clean with lids removed. Once material hits the bin it belongs to the city, and scavenging it draws a $100 fine for a first offense and $500 after that.

Key details: Applies to: single-family, duplex, triplex units. Cardboard size limit: 2 feet by 3 feet, flattened. Scavenging fine, first offense: $100. Scavenging fine, repeat offense: $500. Bin ownership at curb: belongs to City of Hollywood.

Scavenging recyclables from a curbside bin carries a $100 fine for a first occurrence and $500 for every occurrence after that under § 50.04(B)(1)(d). Putting unacceptable materials, such as plastic bags, aerosol cans or motor-oil containers, in the recycling bin can also get the load rejected during collection.

Pickup Rules & Schedules

Every private company collecting garbage, recycling or solid waste in Hollywood needs a Public Works permit, and that permit locks in real service standards: pickup hours tied to the noise ordinance, at least twice-weekly service for food waste and putrescents, and a minimum one-cubic-yard container for every ten residential units served.

Key details: Permit issuer: Director of Public Works. Permit term: 1 year, expires September 30. Minimum putrescent pickup: twice per week. Minimum container size: 1 cubic yard per 10 residential units. Complaint revocation trigger: 2% annual / 0.5% monthly.

Operating without a Public Works permit, exceeding the complaint thresholds of 2% annually or 0.5% monthly, or missing the twice-weekly putrescent pickup standard violates § 50.05(C). The Director of Public Works can refer a violation to the City Manager for a public hearing before the City Commission, which can revoke the permit; a terminated contractor cannot reapply for 365 days.

Recycling Requirements

Every multi-family building with more than two units, and every commercial establishment, has had to run a source-separated on-site recycling program since October 1, 2015. Owners, landlords and associations must recycle at least glass, plastic bottles, metal cans, cartons, newspaper, cardboard and paper, and prove annually they are educating tenants and employees.

Key details: Compliance deadline: October 1, 2015. Applies to: multi-family (3+ units) and commercial. Minimum materials: glass, plastic, metal, cartons, paper, cardboard. Commercial exemption: 1 or fewer pickups per month. Proof required: annual evidence of program + education.

A multi-family property or commercial establishment that never implemented the required source-separated program, or that fails to submit its annual evidence of an active program and tenant/employee education, is out of compliance with § 50.04(B)(2) and (3). Noncompliance is enforceable the same as other Chapter 50 violations, with penalties under § 10.99.

Bulk Item Disposal

Hollywood's Environmental Services Division picks up bulk waste, such as furniture, mattresses and appliances, once a month on the schedule posted at the city's website, and caps free pickup at six cubic yards per collection. Anything over that requires a prepaid special pickup or a franchised private hauler.

Key details: Free pickup limit: 6 cubic yards per collection. Collection frequency: once per month. Earliest curb placement: noon the day before pickup. Overage option: prepaid special pickup or franchised hauler. Late/unpaid fees: become a property lien.

Putting bulk waste out before noon the day prior to the scheduled pickup, dumping items that didn't come from the property, or blocking an alley right-of-way violates § 50.04(A)(3). Penalties run under § 10.99 or Chapter 36 of the Code, plus a city removal fee if the material isn't cleared within 24 hours of notice; unpaid charges become a recorded lien against the property.

The Bottom Line

Hollywood's trash & recycling rules are a mixed bag. Some areas are strict, others are relaxed, and the details matter. The best approach is to check the specific rule that applies to your situation rather than assuming Hollywood is broadly strict or permissive.

These rules come from Hollywood's publicly available municipal code. For complete penalty schedules, exemption details, and answers to common questions, see the individual ordinance pages throughout this guide.