Trash & Recycling in Miramar, FL

If you live in Miramar or are thinking about moving there, trash & recycling are one of those things you probably won't think about until they affect you directly. Miramar has 9 specific rules on the books covering different aspects of trash & recycling, and some of them might surprise you.

Bulk Item Disposal

Bulk item pickup in Miramar runs on a tight window: Section 18-27 bars residents from putting Bulk Trash at the curb more than seven days before their scheduled pickup day, caps permitted construction debris at three cubic yards, and requires items be generated by the household itself, not a contractor. Crews skip anything piled within three feet of vehicles, mailboxes, utility poles or trees, or left out during a hurricane watch or warning.

Key details: Earliest set-out: 7 days before scheduled pickup day. Debris cap: 3 cubic yards of permitted C&D debris. Clearance rule: 3 feet from vehicles, mailboxes, utility poles. Storm rule: No bulk trash during Hurricane Watch/Warning. Source requirement: Must come from customer's own household activity.

Setting Bulk Trash out more than seven days before the scheduled pickup day, exceeding the three-cubic-yard cap on permitted construction debris, or including unpermitted contractor or exempt waste means the pile will not be collected. Material left in a hazardous, disorderly pile or within three feet of vehicles, mailboxes, utility poles or trees is likewise skipped, and anything not pulled back inside during a hurricane watch or warning stays the customer's responsibility.

Recycling Rules

Miramar's recycling cart rules mirror its trash cart rules: Section 18-77 requires all acceptable recyclables to go together in one approved container with the lid closed at all times, bars setting the cart out before 4:00 p.m. the night before the scheduled collection day, and requires the container be brought back to the home before the end of that collection day. Overloaded carts that will spill during servicing are skipped.

Key details: Earliest set-out: 4:00 p.m. the night before pickup. Return deadline: Before end of collection day. Lid rule: Closed at all times. Overload rule: Spilling carts are left uncollected. Applies to: Single-family and multi-family cart users.

Setting a recycling Roll Cart out before 4:00 p.m. the night before the scheduled collection day, leaving the lid open, or failing to return the container home before the end of collection day all violate Section 18-77. An overloaded cart that would spill material during servicing is left uncollected under subsection (c), and repeated noncompliance can draw the penalties Section 18-76(d) allows to the extent permitted by law.

Collection Schedule

Trash collection in Miramar is not optional: Section 18-4 makes every owner of improved real property responsible for preventing accumulated garbage, garden trash and refuse on their property, and requires accumulations to be cleared within five days of a city notice. The section also obligates owners to pay the fees tied to Municipal Solid Waste collection service.

Key details: Removal deadline: 5 days after city notice. Applies to: All owners of improved real property. Franchise hauler: Waste Pro of Florida, Inc.. Service basis: Mandatory, not opt-in. Unpaid fees: Become a lien on the property (§18-53).

Letting garbage, garden trash or refuse accumulate on improved property violates Section 18-4 outright, and failing to remove it within five days of a city notice is a separate, ongoing violation. Because occupancy itself is prima facie evidence that waste and fees are due under Section 18-2, owners cannot escape liability by disputing usage, and unpaid fees can become a lien against the property under Section 18-53.

Recycling Requirements

Miramar requires curbside recycling to be sorted before it reaches the street: Section 18-76 defines the accepted stream as newspapers, clear, brown and green glass, aluminum cans, tin cans, plastics No. 1-3 and non-waxed cardboard, and requires residents to segregate that material into the city's Recycling Bins or Roll Carts and set it out on the day the city or its Franchise Hauler has scheduled.

Key details: Accepted materials: Newspaper, glass, aluminum, tin, plastics #1-3, cardboard. Container: City-issued Recycling Bin or Roll Cart. Segregation: Must be separated from other waste. Scavenging ban: Unauthorized removal is a violation (§18-82 enforces). Governing section: Code of Ordinances § 18-76.

Recyclables removed by an unauthorized person, firm or corporation is a violation of Article IV, enforced by the appropriate city department under Section 18-82; each act of unauthorized removal can be treated as a separate offense. Households that mix Recycling Contaminates into the bin risk having the container skipped, and noncompliance with the recycling program otherwise carries penalties to the extent permitted by law.

Bin Placement Rules

Miramar tells residents exactly when a garbage cart can hit the curb: Section 18-26 requires all residential Municipal Solid Waste to go in a city-issued Solid Waste Roll Cart with the lid closed and any bags tied shut, bars setting the cart out before 4:00 p.m. the day before pickup, and requires it be pulled back to the house by the end of collection day.

Key details: Earliest set-out: 4:00 p.m. the day before pickup. Return deadline: By end of the collection day. Required container: City-issued Solid Waste Roll Cart. Lid rule: Tightly covered at all times. Bag rule: Plastic bags must be securely tied.

Placing a Solid Waste Roll Cart at the curb before 4:00 p.m. the day before the scheduled pickup, or failing to bring it back to the residence by the end of collection day, violates Section 18-26(c) and (d). A cart left with an open lid or with untied bags inside also violates subsection (b), and any of these lapses can draw a code enforcement complaint against the property.

Yard Waste Collection

Miramar's solid waste code only accepts yard debris as free curbside Bulk Trash when limbs, branches and palm fronds are six feet or shorter and no thicker than 12 inches in diameter, generated during routine yard care rather than tree removal. Debris cut by a landscaper, tree service or other contractor does not qualify and will sit at the curb uncollected.

Key details: Length limit: 6 feet maximum per branch. Diameter limit: 12 inches maximum. Eligible source: Routine yard maintenance only. Not eligible: Tree removal or contractor debris. Placement window: Up to 7 days before pickup (§18-27).

Yard debris left at the curb that exceeds the six-foot length or 12-inch diameter limit, or that originated from tree removal or contractor work, is not collected and remains the property owner's responsibility. Under Section 18-4, owners must clear any accumulation of garden trash or other waste from the property within five days of a city notice and pay any associated fees; failing to do so is a separate violation of Chapter 18.

Dumpster Rules

Commercial and multi-family properties in Miramar cannot leave dumpsters or roll-offs sitting in the open: Section 18-28 requires every container to be screened from view in a design the Engineering Department approves, with screening at least as high as the container itself. Owners must store Dumpsters, Roll-offs, Compactors and Roll Carts in an approved enclosure and keep the gates closed except when a hauler is servicing it.

Key details: Screening height: At least as high as the container. Approval needed: Engineering Department design approval. Covered containers: Roll Carts, Dumpsters, Roll-offs, Compactors. Gate rule: Closed except while hauler is servicing. Responsible party: Property owner.

Leaving a Dumpster, Roll-off or Compactor unscreened, screened below the container's own height, or stored outside an approved enclosure violates Section 18-28. Property owners who fail to keep enclosure gates closed when a hauler is not actively servicing the container, or who allow a container to go unmarked against prohibited materials, are responsible for the violation and can face the code enforcement process under Chapter 2, Article XI.

Illegal Dumping

Dumping trash, rubbish or refuse on Miramar streets, alleys, vacant lots or waterways is unlawful under City Code § 10-91, and dumping litter into the stormwater system carries its own $500 minimum penalty per offense under § 21-254. Every day a violation continues counts as a separate offense.

Key details: Core ban: Dumping trash on streets, lots, waterways (§ 10-91). Trash disposal: Only at city-designated site. Stormwater dumping: Separate $500 minimum penalty (§ 21-254(o)). General penalty: Up to $500 fine / 60 days jail (§ 1-13). Continuing violation: Each day counts as a new offense.

A general § 10-91 dumping violation defaults to the Chapter 1 general penalty, § 1-13: a fine up to $500, up to 60 days in jail, or both, with each day a violation continues treated as a new offense. Stormwater-related dumping under § 21-254 is assessed separately at a $500 minimum per offense, plus the full cost of clean-up, enforcement and remediation the city incurs.

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

Pickup Rules & Schedules

Miramar picks up trash through a single franchised hauler, not open competition: Section 18-7 grants Waste Pro of Florida, Inc. the city's exclusive solid waste and recycling collection franchise. Anyone who collects, transports or disposes of Municipal Solid Waste, Recycling Materials or Construction and Demolition Debris within city limits without authorization violates the ordinance and faces code enforcement fines under Chapter 2, Article XI.

Key details: Franchise hauler: Waste Pro of Florida, Inc.. Authorization required: For any non-franchise collection or hauling. Penalty basis: Code enforcement fines, Ch. 2 Art. XI. Continuing violation: Each day counts as a separate offense. Registration alternative: Certified Recovered Materials Dealers, §§18-100-105.

Collecting, transporting or disposing of Municipal Solid Waste, Recycling Materials or Construction and Demolition Debris generated in Miramar without authorization from the city or outside the Waste Pro agreement violates Section 18-7(b). The city can pursue code enforcement fines and costs under Chapter 2, Article XI, treat each day of a continuing violation as a separate offense, and additionally seek an injunction or other civil court action against the violator.

This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. Miramar actively enforces its pickup rules & schedules requirements.

The Bottom Line

Miramar is tougher than many cities when it comes to trash & recycling. Out of the 9 rules covered here, 2 are rated strict. If you are a homeowner, renter, or business owner in Miramar, 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 Miramar'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.