Trash & Recycling in Port St. Lucie, FL

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

Illegal Dumping

Port St. Lucie Code § 95.17 makes it unlawful to dump litter or refuse on public roads, waterways, private property without consent, or construction sites. Section 95.20 backs the ban with escalating fines starting at $150.00 for a first offense and up to $500.00 or 60 days in jail for repeat violations.

Key details: Governing sections: §§ 95.15, 95.17, 95.20. First offense minimum fine: $150.00. Third offense minimum fine: $500.00. Maximum penalty: $500.00 fine or 60 days jail. Also declared: A public nuisance under § 95.18.

Section 95.20 punishes a conviction with a fine up to $500.00, up to 60 days in the county jail, or both, plus the possibility of community service hours in place of the fine. Minimum fines escalate with each violation: not less than $150.00 for a first offense, $250.00 for a second, and $500.00 for a third or subsequent offense. Interfering with a sanitation inspector alone carries a minimum $500.00 fine, and the state's Florida Litter Law, F.S. § 403.413, applies on top of the city's own penalties.

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

Dumpster Rules

Every multi-family, commercial, industrial, office, and institutional property in Port St. Lucie must screen its refuse and recycling dumpsters behind a five-foot masonry enclosure at least 12 feet by 12 feet, per Zoning Code Section 158.232, and mechanical containers must meet the design standards the director sets under Code Section 80.09.

Key details: Minimum enclosure size: 12 ft by 12 ft. Professional-zoned enclosure minimum: 6 ft by 12 ft. Enclosure wall requirement: 5-foot masonry wall. Container spacing: 3 feet minimum. Shared enclosure threshold: under 50 units or 10,000 sq ft.

A property that skips the required dumpster enclosure, leaves gates open outside pickup hours, or uses an undersized or unapproved container is subject to code enforcement action and civil citation under the city's general code compliance process in Chapters 37 and 40, which can escalate to a Special Magistrate hearing and daily fines for each day the violation continues.

Recycling Rules

Port St. Lucie residents recycle exclusively through the city's franchise hauler under Code Section 80.06(c), setting recyclables out in a hauler-provided cart separated from garbage. Scavenging recyclables from the curb without city approval is a separate violation, and the director decides which materials the hauler will actually collect.

Key details: Recycling cart capacity: about 100 gallons. Curbside set-out window: 6 p.m. to 7 a.m.. Scavenging recyclables: prohibited without city approval. First-offense cart citation: $35.00. Repeat cart citation: $70.00.

Mixing recyclables with garbage, scavenging a recycling cart at the curb without city approval, or setting a cart out before 6:00 p.m. the night before collection are each violations under Sections 80.06(c) and 80.14, enforceable by a solid waste citation carrying a $35.00 first-offense fine and $70.00 for a repeat offense within 12 months under Section 80.17(d).

Bulk Item Disposal

Port St. Lucie caps residential bulk waste, furniture, white goods, and large carpet pieces, at 2 cubic yards per curbside set-out under Section 80.06(d) of the Code of Ordinances. Residents can put bulk items out no more than 24 hours before their scheduled bulk collection day, and rolled carpet must be tied in sections of 4 feet or less.

Key details: Volume limit: 2 cubic yards per set-out. Early set-out window: Up to 24 hours before pickup. Carpet binding: Rolled, tied in 4-ft lengths. First offense penalty: $110 (Sec. 80.17(d)). Correction period: 48 hours from citation.

Bulk, yard, and other solid waste violations carry a $110 civil penalty for a first offense and $220 for a second offense under Section 80.17(d)'s penalty table, and a violator has 48 hours from the citation to correct it under Section 80.17(b)(5)ii. Citations may be appealed to the special magistrate within 72 hours of the date to correct, and repeat violations within 12 months can skip straight to a citation with no correction window.

Yard Waste Collection

Port St. Lucie limits curbside yard waste to 4 cubic yards per household per week under Section 80.06(e) of the Code of Ordinances. Branches and stumps must be cut to 4 feet or less and no more than 6 inches thick or 50 pounds, while loose leaves and clippings go in cans or bags capped at 50 pounds each.

Key details: Weekly volume limit: 4 cubic yards per household. Branch length limit: 4 feet (palm fronds exempt). Branch diameter/weight: 6 inches / 50 lbs max. Loose debris weight: 50 lbs per bag or can. First offense penalty: $110 (Sec. 80.17(d)).

Yard waste violations fall under the same bulk, yard, solid waste penalty tier as bulk waste: a $110 fine for a first offense and $220 for a second under Section 80.17(d), with 48 hours to correct the violation under Section 80.17(b)(5)ii. Piling more than 4 cubic yards at the curb, exceeding the size or weight limits, or leaving a landscaper's clippings for city pickup can each trigger a citation.

Collection Schedule

Port St. Lucie requires every residential and commercial property to use the city's franchise hauler for garbage collection under Section 80.03 of the Code of Ordinances. There is no opt-out: owners are billed for the mandatory service, and Section 80.11 gives the Director authority to set the actual pickup days and frequency through the franchise agreement.

Key details: Service: Mandatory via city franchise hauler. Curbside residential collects: Garbage, yard waste, bulk, recycling. Commercial collects: Garbage and rubbish only. Billing responsibility: Property owner. Schedule set by: Director + franchise agreement.

Failing to use the mandatory service or interfering with collection is enforced under Section 80.16, which makes it "unlawful for any person to fail, neglect, or refuse to comply with and abide by each provision" of Chapter 80, with each day of noncompliance a separate offense. The Special Magistrate has jurisdiction over these violations, and cases can also be pursued under Chapters 37, 40, or Florida Statute Chapter 162.

Holiday Pickup Schedule

Port St. Lucie suspends garbage, recycling, yard waste, and bulk waste pickup on Independence Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas under Sections 80.02 and 80.06(a)(3) of the Code of Ordinances. Any collection that would normally fall on one of those holidays gets rescheduled under the current franchise agreement rather than skipped outright.

Key details: Recognized holidays: Independence Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas. Additional dates: Set by Director + division manager. Missed pickup: Rescheduled per franchise agreement. Applies to: Garbage, recycling, bulk, yard waste. Late cart penalty: $35 first offense (Sec. 80.17(d)).

There is no separate penalty tied to the holiday shift itself; Section 80.06(a)(3) reschedules collection rather than exempting residents from participation. If a cart is left at the curb outside the rescheduled window, ordinary Chapter 80 penalties apply: $35 for a first cart placement violation and $70 for a second under Section 80.17(d), so residents should confirm the shifted date with the franchise hauler rather than assume a standard weekly slot.

Port St. Lucie is more permissive than most cities when it comes to holiday pickup schedule. That said, there are still limits.

Bin Placement Rules

Port St. Lucie requires garbage and recycling carts to be screened from the street between pickups and set at the curb only in a narrow window under Sections 80.09(b) and 80.06(a). Carts must sit indoors or behind a screening fence, hedge, or wall the rest of the week, go out no earlier than 6 p.m. the night before collection, and come back in the same day.

Key details: Curb clearance: 3 feet from objects/other containers. Screening required: Indoors or behind fence/hedge/wall. Earliest set-out: 6:00 p.m. night before. Latest set-out: Before 7:00 a.m. collection day. First offense fine: $35 (Sec. 80.17(d)).

Placing a cart out too early, leaving an empty cart at the curb too long, or storing it unscreened between pickups is a cart placement/garbage collection violation under Section 80.17(d)'s penalty table: $35 for a first offense and $70 for a second. Violators get 24 hours from the citation to fix a cart placement problem under Section 80.17(b)(5)i before further enforcement follows.

Pickup Rules & Schedules

Before a garbage or recycling cart goes to the curb in Port St. Lucie, Section 80.05 of the Code of Ordinances dictates exactly how the waste must be packed: household trash bagged inside the cart, recyclables loose and never bagged, appliance doors removed, and nothing left sitting on top of a closed lid.

Key details: Household trash: Bagged before going in cart. Recyclables: Never bagged, kept separate. Scrap metal length: Cut/bent to 6 feet or less. Appliances: Doors removed, laid flat. Overflow: Banned outside/atop the cart (Sec. 80.05(h)).

Improperly bagged, overloaded, or unsafely packed waste is enforced the same way as other Chapter 80 violations: a code compliance officer can issue a solid waste citation under Section 80.17(b), and the general garbage/rubbish tier of the Section 80.17(d) penalty table applies where the violation is tied to a specific collection cart, $35 for a first offense and $70 for a second, with 24 hours to correct it.

The Bottom Line

Port St. Lucie'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 Port St. Lucie is broadly strict or permissive.

Keep in mind that Port St. Lucie can amend these rules at any council meeting. For the most current version of any rule mentioned here, check the specific ordinance page, where we track updates as they happen.