Trash & Recycling in Eugene, OR (2026)
8 verified trash & recycling rules for Eugene, Oregon, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Pickup Rules & Schedules
Eugene requires every property where garbage accumulates to keep sturdy, watertight, rodent-proof containers with tight lids accessible to haulers, and its licensed collectors must in turn provide curbside recycling and yard debris pickup and stay quiet between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.
Eugene Garbage Container Requirements
Some RestrictionsEC 6.055
(1) An owner or person in charge of property where garbage accumulates shall keep or cause to be kept on the premises one or more portable containers of a standard type suitable for deposit of garbage and shall deposit or cause to be deposited in the containers all garbage that accumulates on the premises. Paper products and wooden wastes, however, may remain outside the containers if stored in...
Bin Placement Rules
Eugene lets licensed haulers' carts sit at the curb or on the sidewalk only in a narrow window: no earlier than 7 p.m. the night before collection, gone by midnight of collection day. Sidewalk placement must leave at least 3 feet of clear path under EC 4.855(6).
Eugene Garbage Cart Placement Rules
Some RestrictionsEC 4.855(6)
(6) If authorized under the City Manager's rules for priority of placement, containers supplied by licensed solid waste and recycling firms may be placed: (a) On a sidewalk, provided the placement of the container(s) leaves at least three feet of the paved area of a sidewalk unobstructed; or (b) Between the curbs of streets that do not have designated bicycle lanes immediately adjacent to the c...
Recycling Requirements
Every licensed hauler in Eugene must provide curbside recycling collection to its residential customers, not just trash pickup. EC 3.270(1) requires licensees to provide curbside recycling and yard debris collection services to their customers and to follow the city manager's administrative rules on how that service works.
Eugene Curbside Recycling Service Requirement
Some RestrictionsEC 3.270(1)
(1) In addition to the requirements of section 3.041 and other provisions of this chapter, licensees shall provide curbside recycling and yard debris collection services to their customers, and shall comply with the rules adopted by the city manager under section 2.019 of this code.
Illegal Dumping
Eugene's littering ordinance, EC 6.805, bars throwing or depositing garbage, rubbish, filth, or debris on public or private property outside places the city council has designated for disposal. A violation falls to the Chapter 6 general penalty, EC 6.992: a fine of up to $200, since littering carries no penalty of its own.
Eugene Illegal Dumping and Littering Ban
Some RestrictionsEC 6.805; EC 6.992
No person shall throw or deposit or cause to be thrown or deposited any glass, metal, broken ware, dirt, timber, brush, rubbish, garbage, filth, or litter on public or private property except in such places as may be designated by the council. (EC 6.805) ... Violation of any other section in this chapter is punishable by fine not to exceed $200.00. (EC 6.992)
Yard Waste Collection
Eugene defines what counts as yard debris under EC 3.005: grass clippings, leaves, hedge trimmings, and branches under four inches in diameter that fit inside the yard debris cart. EC 3.245(1) requires a city license to collect it for pay, though a landscaper hauling debris from their own job in their own vehicle doesn't need one.
Eugene Yard Debris Collection Rules
Some RestrictionsEC 3.005; EC 3.245(2)(f)
3.005 Yard debris. Includes grass clippings, leaves, hedge trimmings, branches that are less than four inches in diameter and fit inside the yard debris cart, and similar vegetative waste but does not include dirt, rocks, metal, or other non-vegetative solid waste. ... 3.245(2) The following persons do not require a solid waste collection license: ... (f) A person who performs landscaping servi...
Dumpster Rules
Outdoor dumpsters and recycling collection areas serving anything other than a single-unit home, ADU, or middle housing must be fully screened on all sides under EC 9.6740, with a 6-to-8-foot site-obscuring fence and a pedestrian gate that's at least 50 percent screened. The rule is current through Ordinance 20739, passed June 8, 2026.
Eugene Dumpster and Recycling Screening Rules
Some RestrictionsEC 9.6740
9.6740 Recycling and Garbage Screening. Except for single-unit dwellings, accessory dwelling units and middle housing, outdoor storage areas and refuse collection areas within or adjacent to vehicular use areas shall be screened on all sides so that materials stored within these areas are obscured from streets, accessways, or adjacent properties. (1) Outdoor storage areas and refuse collection ...
Collection Schedule
Eugene doesn't run its own garbage trucks. EC 3.247 caps the city at eight licensed solid waste collectors, each holding a renewable five-year license under EC 3.248. EC 3.270(2) bars any collection vehicle from creating a noise disturbance audible inside a dwelling between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., setting the practical hours a residential route can run.
Eugene Trash Collection Hours & Licensed Haulers
Some RestrictionsEC 3.247(1); EC 3.270(2)
3.247(1) The city shall issue no more than eight licenses for the collection of solid waste, yard debris and residential recyclable materials from within the city. ... 3.270(2) No licensee shall operate a vehicle or load or unload a vehicle so as to create a noise disturbance that is plainly audible within any dwelling unit between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. the following day.
Recycling Rules
Eugene doesn't let just anyone haul recyclables for pay: EC 3.245(1) requires a city solid waste collection license to collect residential recyclables, yard debris, or solid waste anywhere in city limits. EC 3.245(2) carves out a short list of exempt collectors, from charitable fundraisers to commercial-only recyclers, but everyone else needs the license before touching a customer's cart.
Eugene Recycling Collection Licensing Rules
Some RestrictionsEC 3.245
(1) No person shall collect residential recyclables, yard debris or solid waste within the corporate limits of the city without first obtaining a solid waste collection license for such activity in accordance with the rules adopted by the city manager under section 2.019 of this code. (2) The following persons do not require a solid waste collection license: ... (e) A person who collects recycl...
Looking for Lane County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Eugene city rules.
Trash & Recycling in Lane County →