Trash & Recycling in Auburn, AL (2026)
8 verified trash & recycling rules for Auburn, Alabama, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Pickup Rules & Schedules
Auburn requires tenants, lessees and owners to keep a safe, clear path to garbage containers so solid waste crews can service them, and vicious animals must be confined or containers positioned so collectors are not at risk of attack. Private alleys used for pickup must stay passable for trucks and personnel.
Auburn Trash Pickup Access Rules
Some RestrictionsAuburn, AL Code of Ordinances § 20-25
It shall be incumbent upon tenants, lessees, occupants or owners of the premises to provide a safe and convenient entrance to and through the premises for the purpose of collecting garbage. All vicious animals shall either be confined or garbage containers placed at a point where collectors may empty same without attack from such animals. Where collections are made from private alleys and acces...
Bin Placement Rules
Auburn residents in cart-service areas must place their 96-gallon roll-out cart at curbside by 6:00 a.m. on pickup day and pull it back in the same day rather than leaving it out overnight. Residents without cart service put cans near the back entrance in plain view, and business containers go where the solid waste director designates.
Auburn Garbage Cart Placement Rules
Some RestrictionsAuburn, AL Code of Ordinances § 20-26(b)(1)-(2)
On scheduled garbage pickup day, the garbage customer will be required to place the cart at the curbside not later than 6:00 a.m. Carts at curbside when emptied should be removed from curbside and should not remain there overnight. No person shall place any cart out for collection on a date when no collection is scheduled.
Bulk Item Disposal
Auburn's solid waste department removes oversized burnable and nonburnable waste from residential premises on an occasional basis, but construction and demolition debris, dirt, stumps and tree trunks are excluded and must be privately removed by the owner or contractor.
Auburn Bulk & Oversized Waste Pickup
Some RestrictionsAuburn, AL Code of Ordinances § 20-27
The service provided under this division shall remove, on an occasional basis, oversized burnable and nonburnable wastes from residential premises, except as otherwise provided.
Illegal Dumping
Auburn makes it unlawful to dump garbage anywhere other than a sanitary landfill, and the city's residential trash policy separately bans piling trash on medians, vacant lots, sidewalks, or against fire hydrants and mailboxes. Violations run through the general penalty of up to $500 and six months in jail.
Auburn Illegal Dumping Ban
Some RestrictionsAuburn, AL Code of Ordinances § 20-31
It shall be unlawful for any person to dump, or cause to be dumped, any garbage upon any property other than a sanitary landfill.
Yard Waste Collection
Auburn requires residents to separate yard waste, leaves, grass clippings, straw and tree limbs, from metal and other debris, and to set it at curbside the evening before pickup when possible. Yard waste over five cubic yards triggers a special collection fee starting at $50.00.
Auburn Yard Waste Collection Policy
Some RestrictionsAuburn, AL Code of Ordinances § 20-32(d)
Residential trash (yard waste) will be collected at no additional charge if the volume of such trash placed at the curbside is less than five (5) cubic yards (six (6) feet by six (6) feet by four (4) feet). In the event that residential trash placed at the curbside exceeds five (5) cubic yards, the city utility account for the residence shall be charged a special trash collection fee as follows...
Dumpster Rules
Auburn requires every dumpster serving an apartment, townhouse or condominium development to sit on a hard surface behind a six-foot screening enclosure that matches the main building, under Zoning Ordinance Section 408.02(C)(11), with a closable gate and a minimum capacity of half a cubic yard per unit.
Auburn Dumpsters Must Be Screened, Paved
Some RestrictionsZoning Ordinance § 408.02(C)(11)
Dumpster placement shall be screened from public view, public rights-of-way and from abutting properties by materials of the same architectural style, color and materials as the principal structure and the opening provided with a gate (which must remain closed when the dumpster is not in use) of durable wood or comparable material. All screening shall be a minimum of six (6) feet high. Dumpster...
Collection Schedule
Auburn requires every occupied premises to subscribe to city refuse service, and residential garbage is collected once per week citywide under the solid waste department's schedule. Trash and recyclables set out behind the curb get weekly pickup too, except where the code provides otherwise.
Auburn Trash Collection Schedule
Some RestrictionsAuburn, AL Code of Ordinances § 20-22
It shall be unlawful for any person in possession, charge or control, jointly or severally, of any premises where refuse is created or accumulated, and in the case of multiple dwellings or multiple occupancy which requires a city business license, for the owner or agent, jointly or severally, of the premises, to fail to subscribe to refuse service as created and at the charges established hereu...
Recycling Rules
Auburn requires recyclables to be set out for pickup exactly like trash: placed in front of the home behind the curb, within three feet of it, and collected once a week under City Code Sec. 20-23.
Auburn, AL Curbside Recycling Collection Rules
Some RestrictionsAuburn, AL Code of Ordinances § 20-23
Residential garbage collection shall occur on a once per week basis. Trash, originating on the premises, and recyclable materials which are placed in front of the owner's or occupant's premises but behind the curb and within three (3) feet thereof, shall be removed once per week in residential areas, except as otherwise provided.
Looking for Lee County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Auburn city rules.
Trash & Recycling in Lee County →