Trash & Recycling in Jackson, MS

If you live in Jackson or are thinking about moving there, trash & recycling are one of those things you probably won't think about until they affect you directly. Jackson has 8 specific rules on the books covering different aspects of trash & recycling, and some of them might surprise you.

Collection Schedule

Jackson runs residential collection on two designated days a week: containerized garbage and non-containerized yard debris on the second day, leaves and containerized yard clippings on the first, and residents must set cans out before 7:00 a.m. and pull them back in by 9:00 p.m.

Key details: Collection days per week: Two, director-designated. Curbside set-out deadline: Before 7:00 a.m.. Container removal deadline: By 9:00 p.m.. Monthly residential fee: $37.00 mandatory. Placement distance from street: Within 5 feet.

Using a nonregulation container, setting garbage out on a day other than the one the director designates, or leaving empty containers on the street past 9:00 p.m. is unlawful under Section 106-113(a); the director may remove nonconforming containers after notice to the owner. Failure to pay the $37.00 monthly user charge is enforceable as a municipal utility/service delinquency under Section 106-37.

Recycling Rules

Jackson makes it a misdemeanor for anyone other than the city's authorized recycling contractor to pick up recyclables left at curbside collection points or the city's recycling drop-off centers, with each unauthorized pickup counted as a separate offense.

Key details: Who may collect recyclables: City-authorized contractor only. Violation classification: Misdemeanor, per location. Covered locations: Curbside, alley, parkway, drop-off centers. Governing section: General Code § 106-39. Adopted: Ord. No. 1992-49, 10-20-92.

Subsection (c) makes any unauthorized removal, collection or pickup of recyclable materials from a designated collection location a separate and distinct misdemeanor offense under the General Code, meaning a scavenger can be cited once for each bin or drop-off location disturbed rather than a single citywide violation.

Yard Waste Collection

Jackson collects containerized or loose yard debris, tree branches, shrubbery, leaves, clippings and pine straw, on scheduled collection days, but loose piles cannot exceed two cubic yards or 54 cubic feet, and tree limbs cannot be thicker than four inches, under Code § 106-117(a)(2).

Key details: Loose-pile volume limit: 2 cubic yards / 54 cubic feet. Max tree limb diameter: 4 inches. Containerized yard debris pickup: First collection day of week. Loose yard debris pickup: Second collection day of week. Excluded material: Commercial tree-trim logs/limbs.

There is no yard-waste-specific fine in Chapter 106; oversized or noncomplying piles are simply left uncollected, and loose debris left in the right-of-way past collection days becomes a Chapter 106 violation subject to the Code's general penalty, § 1-10, up to $1,000.00 per day the violation continues.

Bin Placement Rules

Jackson households must set garbage out in regulation containers within five feet of the street on their designated pickup day, before 7:00 a.m., and pull the empty container back in by 9:00 p.m. the same day. Apartment complexes with five or more units must supply approved storage containers under Code §§ 106-113 and 106-115.

Key details: Set-out distance: Within 5 feet of street. Earliest placement time: Before 7:00 a.m. on pickup day. Container removal deadline: 9:00 p.m. same day. Apartments 5+ units: Owner must supply containers. Nonregulation containers: Director may remove them.

Chapter 106 carries no cart-specific fine; violations default to the Code's general penalty, § 1-10: up to $1,000.00 and imprisonment up to the state-law maximum, with each day of noncompliance a separate offense. The director may also simply remove a nonregulation or improperly set-out container along with its contents after notifying the owner, per § 106-115(a).

Dumpster Rules

Commercial dumpsters at apartment complexes of five or more units and at commercial properties must sit inside a six-foot screened, gated enclosure under City Code § 26-462, and haulers cannot service a commercial dumpster within 150 feet of a home between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. on weekdays under § 106-61.

Key details: Enclosure height: At least 6 feet, four sides, one gate. Applies to: Apartments with 5+ units, commercial uses. Restricted hours, weekdays: No servicing 10 p.m.-7 a.m. within 150 ft of homes. Restricted hours, weekends: No servicing 10 p.m.-9 a.m. within 150 ft. First-violation fine: $250.00, misdemeanor.

A first violation of the § 106-61 dumpster-hours restriction is a misdemeanor punishable by a $250.00 fine; a 'multiple violator,' meaning two or more convictions within 90 days, faces a $1,000.00 fine or the maximum fine allowed by law, up to ten business days in the county jail, or both. Building an enclosure without the required § 26-462 building permit is separately enforceable as a code violation.

Bulk Item Disposal

Jackson collects large items like furniture, appliances and mattresses only on the weekly second pickup date if neatly stacked, and caps loose brush and yard debris at two cubic yards with tree limbs no thicker than four inches, with special crews billed hourly for anything dumped illegally in the right-of-way.

Key details: Bulk item pickup: Weekly second pickup date only. Loose brush volume cap: 2 cubic yards / 54 cubic feet. Tree limb diameter limit: 4 inches maximum. Illegal-dump hand crew fee: $900.00 per hour. Illegal-dump bobcat crew fee: $151.00 per hour.

Failing to pay the special collection fees assessed under Section 106-112 for solid waste illegally placed in the right-of-way is a misdemeanor under subsection (d) of that section. Loose or improperly stacked bulk items or oversized brush left outside the volume and diameter limits of Section 106-117(a)(2) are treated as noncompliant trash subject to removal action under the General Code's collection provisions.

Pickup Rules & Schedules

Jackson requires trash to be bagged or boxed in approved containers of no more than 30 gallons and 60 pounds, with regular garbage and yard debris picked up on two separate weekly collection days set by the public works director, under Code §§ 106-116 and 106-117(a)(1).

Key details: Max container size: 30 gallons. Max container weight: 60 pounds when full. Garbage collection day: Second weekly collection day. Yard clippings collection day: First weekly collection day. Damaged containers: Not collected.

Chapter 106 has no separate fine schedule for improper containers or missed collection days; a violation of §§ 106-116 or 106-117 falls under the Code's general penalty, § 1-10, punishable by a fine up to $1,000.00, imprisonment up to the state-law maximum, or both, with each day of a continuing violation charged separately.

Illegal Dumping

Jackson bans dumping litter on another's property or on public land without permission, and as of an August 2025 amendment, a conviction now carries a mandatory 32 days in jail plus seizure and forfeiture of any vehicle used in the dumping, under Code §§ 106-176 and 106-178.

Key details: Mandatory jail term: 32 days, non-suspendable. Vehicle used in dumping: Subject to seizure/forfeiture. Amendment date: Ord. No. 2025-27(2), 8-12-2025. Evidentiary rule: Named litter is prima facie evidence. Enforcing agency: Jackson Police Dept./code enforcement.

A conviction under this division is a misdemeanor under § 106-178, but the 2025 amendment layers on a mandatory, non-suspendable 32-day jail term and seizure and forfeiture of the vehicle used in the dumping. Each day a violation continues is charged as a separate offense under the Code's general penalty, § 1-10.

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

The Bottom Line

Jackson'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 Jackson is broadly strict or permissive.

All of the above reflects Jackson'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.