Trash & Recycling in Columbus, OH (2026)
10 verified trash & recycling rules for Columbus, Ohio, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Pickup Rules & Schedules
Columbus requires trash, recycling, and compost carts to sit at least four feet from parked vehicles at the curb, then come back within ten feet of the house by 2 p.m. the day after pickup.
Columbus Trash Collection Container Rules
Some RestrictionsColumbus City Codes § 1303.021(C)(8)-(9)
Collection containers, compost containers, and lawn and leaf bags shall be placed at the point of collection, and shall be placed at least four (4) feet from any parked vehicle or other obstruction... Collection containers shall be removed from the point of collection by 2:00 p.m. on the day following the scheduled collection day and stored no more than ten (10) feet from the main structure or ...
Bin Placement Rules
Columbus requires collection containers to sit at least four feet from parked vehicles at the curb, then be pulled back within ten feet of the house or garage by 2 p.m. the day after pickup.
Columbus Trash Cart Placement Rules
Some RestrictionsColumbus City Codes § 1303.021(C)(8)-(9)
Collection containers, compost containers, and lawn and leaf bags shall be placed at the point of collection, and shall be placed at least four (4) feet from any parked vehicle or other obstruction. ... Collection containers shall be removed from the point of collection by 2:00 p.m. on the day following the scheduled collection day and stored no more than ten (10) feet from the main structure o...
Bulk Item Disposal
Columbus residents must schedule bulk pickup through the Division of Refuse Collection and cannot set items outdoors more than 72 hours before the scheduled collection date.
Columbus Bulk Item Pickup Rules
Some RestrictionsColumbus City Codes § 1303.021(F)
F.General Duty for Bulk Collection. It shall be the duty of any owner or occupant to notify the division of refuse collection, to schedule a date for bulk collection.1.Bulk shall not be placed outdoors more than seventy-two (72) hours prior to the scheduled collection.2.Bulk placed for collection shall be maintained in an orderly manner until collected.3.Bulk shall only be scheduled at a dwelli...
Recycling Requirements
Columbus lets recyclables go loose into the collection container: they're the one waste stream exempt from the citywide bagging rule for residential collection.
Columbus Curbside Recycling Rules
Some RestrictionsColumbus City Codes § 1303.021(C)(5)
All acceptable waste at residential units, other than bulk, recyclables or yard waste, shall be placed into a tied or securely sealed plastic or paper bags and then disposed of in the appropriate container for the applicable collection method.
Holiday Pickup Schedule
Columbus Refuse Collection runs no trash routes on eleven City-observed holidays, and the 2026 calendar puts Indigenous Peoples Day on Monday, October 12, 2026, between Labor Day and Veterans Day. Color-zone trash rotates forward one day after each holiday, residents without a color use a two-day window, and recycling and yard waste follow a separate 2026 calendar that marks only six of those holidays, so they run on time the week of October 12.
Columbus Holiday Trash and Recycling Pickup Shifts
Light RestrictionsColumbus City Codes § 1303.03; Find My Collection Day, FAQ 7 and the 2026 Rotating Holiday Refuse Collection Schedule (Division of Refuse Collection)
Some residents are assigned a “color” that establishes when their collection day will be. If you reside in a “color” collection zone, your collection day moves forward one day after every observed holiday. These “color zones” are: navy, pink, ruby, gold, or gray. ... During the week of an observed holiday, if your collection day falls on or after the holiday, your collection will be delayed one...
Illegal Dumping
Columbus bans depositing waste into waterways or onto streets, alleys, rights-of-way, and vacant lots, backing the ban with a $1,000 civil fine per violation plus first-degree misdemeanor criminal charges.
Columbus Illegal Dumping Penalties
Heavy RestrictionsColumbus City Codes § 1305.03
No person shall deposit or cause the deposit of acceptable or unacceptable waste... upon any street, alley, public place, utility right-of-way, railroad corridor, or vacant lot; or upon any premises in violation of the Title.
Yard Waste Collection
In Columbus, leaves go out with the bi-weekly curbside yard waste pickup, which the city says is available for most Columbus residents, in paper bags or marked containers of no more than 32 gallons. The city's yard waste pages print no separate fall leaf season, and leaves swept into the curb are not collected. Under § 1303.021(H)(4), yard waste cannot go out before 6:00 p.m. the day before collection, and the civil penalty is $250.
Columbus Leaf Collection and Yard Waste Rules
Some RestrictionsColumbus City Codes § 1303.021(H)(4); § 1305.03(A)
H.General Duty for Yard Waste Collection. ... 4.No person shall place yard waste out for collection prior to 6:00 p.m. on the day prior to the scheduled collection day or fail to remove any yard waste containers from the point of collection by 2:00 p.m. on the day following the scheduled collection day. Yard waste containers shall be secured and stored within ten (10) feet of the home or garage...
Dumpster Rules
Columbus requires dumpsters to sit on a designated, screened pad outside required yards and setbacks, clear of aisles, driveways, and parking, under the zoning code's general site development standards.
Columbus Commercial Dumpster Placement Rules
Some RestrictionsColumbus City Codes § 3321.01
A dumpster, when provided, shall be in a designated area that does not interfere with any aisle, driveway, parking space, loading space or other circulation area. The location of a dumpster, if any, shall be shown on the site plan with proper loading and maneuvering space; and for the purpose of location, shall be treated as a structure. A dumpster shall be screened from view on all sides. Suc...
Collection Schedule
Columbus requires residents to pull collection containers back from the curb by 2 p.m. the day after pickup and keep them stored near the home until 6 p.m. the evening before the next scheduled collection.
Columbus Trash Container Set-Out Timing
Some RestrictionsColumbus City Codes § 1303.021(C)(9)
Collection containers shall be removed from the point of collection by 2:00 p.m. on the day following the scheduled collection day and stored no more than ten (10) feet from the main structure or garage until 6:00 p.m. on the day prior to the next scheduled collection day.
Recycling Rules
Columbus law exempts recyclables from the bag-everything rule: household trash must go in tied, sealed bags, but recyclables are set out loose in the recycling container under City Code § 1303.021(C)(5).
Columbus Recycling Container Rules
Some RestrictionsColumbus City Codes § 1303.021(C)(5)
All acceptable waste at residential units, other than bulk, recyclables or yard waste, shall be placed into a tied or securely sealed plastic or paper bags and then disposed of in the appropriate container for the applicable collection method.
Looking for Franklin County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Columbus city rules.
Trash & Recycling in Franklin County →