Pembroke Pines's Trash & Recycling: The Rules That Matter

Every city handles trash & recycling a little differently. In Pembroke Pines, Florida, there are 7 distinct rules that residents and property owners should be aware of. Some are stricter than what neighboring cities enforce, and others are more relaxed. Here is what you need to know.

Bin Placement Rules

Pembroke Pines caps curbside garbage bags at three feet long, 32 gallons and 40 pounds, and limits set-out to no earlier than 6:00 p.m. the night before pickup and no later than 10:00 p.m. on collection day. Containers must otherwise be stored out of street view.

Key details: Bag/can limit: 3 ft long, 32 gal, 40 lbs max. Newspaper bundle limit: 50 lbs, separately bundled. Earliest set-out: 6:00 p.m. day before pickup. Latest removal: 10:00 p.m. collection day. Storage requirement: Screened from street/neighbors otherwise.

Improper placement, oversized bags, or leaving containers out past the 10:00 p.m. collection-day deadline is enforceable under § 94.14, penalized under § 10.99 with a fine of up to $500, up to 90 days imprisonment, or both, with each day treated as a separate violation. The owner or occupant of the premises is primarily responsible for compliance.

Collection Schedule

Pembroke Pines requires every residence to use the city's franchised collector, which picks up solid waste and horticulture trash from curbside twice a week, with the two pickups at least three days apart. Dumping trash on someone else's property to dodge the rules is a separate violation.

Key details: Curbside frequency: Twice weekly, 3+ days apart. Collector: City's franchised solid waste collector. Enrollment: Mandatory for all customers/owners. General penalty: Up to $500 fine or 90 days jail. Governing section: §§ 94.10-94.13.

Placing waste on another person's property to dodge the collection schedule violates § 94.12(B) and is punishable under § 10.99: a fine of up to $500, up to 90 days imprisonment, or both, with each day of a continuing violation charged as a separate offense. Failing to enroll with the franchised collector also blocks issuance of a new certificate of occupancy or business tax receipt under § 94.11.

Bulk Item Disposal

Pembroke Pines gives residential customers one free bulky-item collection each year, held in February, with the city notifying residents of the exact pickup dates. Outside that window, large and bulky items fall under the regular franchised-hauler rules.

Key details: Free bulky pickup: Once per year, in February. Cost: No charge for residential customers. Notice: City notifies residents of exact dates. Governing section: § 94.15.

Setting out large or bulky items outside the designated free-collection dates, or in a manner not permitted by the franchise agreement, is treated as unlawfully placed solid waste under § 94.14 and is punishable under § 10.99: up to a $500 fine, up to 90 days in jail, or both, with each day a separate offense.

If you are coming from a city with tighter rules, you will find Pembroke Pines gives residents more flexibility on bulk item disposal.

Yard Waste Collection

Under Pembroke Pines Code § 94.13(B), homeowners must tie yard trash into neat bundles and set it at curbside with regular solid waste for the city's contracted collector to pick up. Bundles cannot go out earlier than 6:00 p.m. the evening before the scheduled collection day and must be off the curb by 10:00 p.m. that day.

Key details: Governing section: § 94.13(B), residential curbside service. Collection frequency: twice weekly, 3+ days apart (§ 94.13(A)). Earliest curbside placement: 6:00 p.m. day before pickup. Must be off curb by: 10:00 p.m. on collection day. Oversized yard debris: free bulky pickup each February (§ 94.15).

A resident who sets loose brush or unbundled yard trash at the curb outside the scheduled window violates § 94.14(A), which makes the property owner or occupant primarily responsible for the debris's placement and removal. Because Chapter 94 has no dedicated penalty section for § 94.13 or § 94.14, a violation is punished under the citywide general penalty at § 10.99: a fine of up to $500, up to 90 days in jail, or both, with each day the condition continues counted as a separate offense.

Illegal Dumping

Pembroke Pines Code § 94.01 makes it both unlawful and a nuisance to dump or bury trash, debris, or garbage on any street, vacant lot, sidewalk, park, right-of-way, or waterway within the city. The prohibition dates to a 1967 ordinance and covers everything from fruit peelings to oil and construction debris, plus any act that pollutes a watercourse.

Key details: Governing section: § 94.01, adopted by Ord. 166 (1967). Protected locations: streets, lots, parks, waterways, rights-of-way. Also covers: any act polluting a watercourse or pool. Legal status: declared both unlawful and a nuisance. Max penalty: $500 fine or 90 days jail (§ 10.99).

Section 94.01 is enforced under the city's general penalty at § 10.99: a fine of not more than $500, imprisonment for not more than 90 days, or both, with each day the dumped material remains constituting a separate offense. Because the section also brands the conduct a nuisance, code enforcement can pursue abatement of the dumped material in addition to any citation or prosecution.

Dumpster Rules

Commercial and multifamily developments in Pembroke Pines can't just drop a dumpster anywhere: § 155.623 requires it sit within 250 feet of the building's main entrance, at least 25 feet from any residential property line, and fully screened inside a solid opaque enclosure with a gated opening and landscaping.

Key details: Governing section: § 155.623(D). Max distance to entrance: 250 feet. Residential setback: 25 feet minimum. Enclosure material: Brick, concrete, or block. Screening shrubs: 24 in. tall, 24 in. spacing.

A site plan that fails to meet § 155.623's distance, setback, or screening standards will not clear development review, so the Planning and Zoning Department can withhold site plan or building permit approval until the enclosure is corrected. Once built, an unscreened or undersized enclosure is a code violation referred to the city's Code Enforcement Board or Special Magistrate under Chapter 32, and, absent a specific dumpster penalty in Chapter 155, defaults to the § 10.99 general penalty: up to $500 and 90 days per day of violation.

Pickup Rules & Schedules

Pembroke Pines provides residential trash collection twice per week through Waste Pro USA. Carts must be placed curbside by collection time with lids closed. Material outside carts is not collected. Yard waste is collected on the same schedule as bulk waste (twice monthly). Collection schedules vary by neighborhood. The city website provides schedule lookup tools.

Key details: Trash Collection: Twice per week. Recycling: Weekly. Bulk/Yard Waste: Twice per month. Provider: Waste Pro USA. Schedule: Varies by neighborhood.

Failure to maintain regular garbage service is a code violation. Improperly placed or overflowing carts may not be collected.

The Bottom Line

Pembroke Pines'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 Pembroke Pines is broadly strict or permissive.

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