Trash & Recycling in Birmingham, AL (2026)
6 verified trash & recycling rules for Birmingham, Alabama, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Bin Placement Rules
Birmingham residents and businesses can't set garbage cans, bags or dumpsters out on the sidewalk any earlier than 6 p.m. the day before pickup, and must bring them back in by 6 p.m. on collection day. City Code § 4-3-6 also covers late-night routes, adding a separate daytime removal window for collections made between 5 p.m. and 3 a.m.
Birmingham Garbage Can Set-Out Times
Some RestrictionsBirmingham Code of Ordinances § 4-3-6
It shall be unlawful for any person in charge or control of any dwelling, hotel, restaurant, delicatessen or store where garbage, rubbish or any other material is placed in a garbage can, rubbish can or special garbage and rubbish container, paper bag or plastic bag, to permit any such can or container or bag to be placed out for collection in or on a sidewalk area earlier than 6:00 p.m. of the...
Bulk Item Disposal
Birmingham lets residents set out bulky furniture and appliances at the curb for city pickup with no bags, boxes or other packaging required, just a neat stack, under City Code § 4-3-4.1. The same section caps unbaggable tree branches and brush at four feet long and eight inches thick, and the public works director can waive prep rules entirely after storms or during organized cleanups.
Birmingham Bulky Item Collection Rules
Light RestrictionsBirmingham Code of Ordinances § 4-3-4.1
(a)Yard rubbish will be allowed to be placed for pickup provided it is enclosed in approved containers. There shall be no limitation on the number of approved containers placed for pickup which contain only yard rubbish. Tree branches and heavy brush which cannot be containerized shall not exceed four feet in length or eight inches in diameter and shall be neatly stacked; no further preparation...
Illegal Dumping
Birmingham makes it a crime to knowingly dump litter on public or private property or waters without permission, drop injurious material on a highway without removing it, or discharge sewage or litter from a large watercraft into state waters. A parallel stormwater ordinance separately bans dumping refuse into the city's storm drain system.
Birmingham's Criminal Littering Ordinance
Some RestrictionsBirmingham Code of Ordinances Sec. 11-3-23
Sec. 11-3-23. - Criminal littering. (a)A person commits the offense of criminal littering if he or she:(1)Knowingly deposits in any manner litter on any public or private property or in any public or private waters, having no permission to do so; ... (b)The term "litter" means rubbish, refuse, waste material, garbage, dead animals or fowl, offal, paper, glass, cans, bottles, trash, scrap metal,...
Yard Waste Collection
Grass clippings, leaves, pine straw and small brush, defined as 'yard rubbish' under City Code § 4-3-1.1, must go between the sidewalk and curb or another spot the department of public works approves for pickup. Section 4-3-4.2 makes noncompliant placement in the right-of-way or alley unlawful and gives the owner just seven days after written notice to fix it.
Birmingham Yard Waste Placement Rules
Some RestrictionsBirmingham Code of Ordinances § 4-3-4.2
All yard rubbish to be removed by the city shall be placed either between the sidewalk and curb or in an accessible place approved by the director of the department of public works or his or her designee. It shall be unlawful for any person to place yard rubbish between the sidewalk and curb, in a right-of-way or in an alley which does not comply with the provisions of this chapter. The propert...
Dumpster Rules
Birmingham businesses that need more than four garbage cans under City Code § 4-3-4 must instead provide a special garbage and rubbish container, a dumpster, and pay for regular servicing. Placing that dumpster on a sidewalk, between sidewalk and curb, in the right-of-way, or blocking an alley is unlawful under § 4-3-5 unless the city council first grants a right-of-way use agreement.
Birmingham Commercial Dumpster Rules
Some RestrictionsBirmingham Code of Ordinances § 4-3-5
(b)Any person conducting or operating a business, commercial or industrial establishment or operation upon any premises in the city and requiring in excess of four approved garbage and rubbish containers as permitted under section 4-3-4 shall provide for that premises a special garbage and rubbish container as defined in this chapter and provide for servicing thereof. It shall be unlawful for a...
Collection Schedule
Every Birmingham dwelling, hotel, restaurant or store that generates garbage must keep enough approved containers on site to hold it, and disposing of garbage any other way than in an approved container bound for a state-permitted disposal site is unlawful. City Code § 4-3-2 makes container use mandatory citywide; it doesn't set a fixed weekly pickup schedule, leaving pickup timing to the department of public works.
Birmingham Mandatory Garbage Container Use
Some RestrictionsBirmingham Code of Ordinances § 4-3-2
(a)It shall be the duty of the owner of or the person in charge or control of any dwelling, hotel, restaurant, delicatessen or store where food for human consumption is prepared or kept for sale or any other place where garbage originates, to keep and maintain at or in such premises a sufficient number of approved garbage and rubbish containers or special garbage and rubbish containers to recei...
Looking for Jefferson County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Birmingham city rules.
Trash & Recycling in Jefferson County →