Trash & Recycling in Fort Worth, TX (2026)
9 verified trash & recycling rules for Fort Worth, Texas, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Pickup Rules & Schedules
Fort Worth collects garbage and recycling weekly on the same day, with bulk waste monthly. Find your day with the city's Garbage & Recycling app or lookup tool. Only Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day push collection one day later.
Fort Worth Trash Pickup Schedule & Rules
Light RestrictionsTex. Health & Safety Code Sec. 365.012
Sec. 365.012. ILLEGAL DUMPING; DISCARDING LIGHTED MATERIALS; CRIMINAL PENALTIES. (a) A person commits an offense if the person disposes or allows or permits the disposal of litter or other solid waste at a place that is not an approved solid waste site, including a place on or within 300 feet of a public highway, on a right-of-way, on other public or private property, or into inland or coast...
Bin Placement Rules
Fort Worth requires carts to hit the curb no earlier than 6:00 p.m. the night before pickup and no later than 7:00 a.m. on collection day, then come back in by midnight, under City Code § 12.5-825. Carts need two feet of clearance on each side and a half foot to the rear from meters, hydrants and trees.
Fort Worth Curbside Cart Placement and Timing
Some RestrictionsFort Worth City Code § 12.5-825(a), (c)-(d)
(a) Garbage carts, plastic bags including pay bags and violation bag tags, recycling carts, kraft bags, yard trimming carts, small bundled brush and brush shall be placed at the curb no later than 7:00 a.m. on the scheduled collection day as determined by the director, and no earlier than 6:00 p.m. on the day preceding the scheduled collection day. All carts and plastic bags, including pay bags...
Bulk Item Disposal
Fort Worth provides scheduled bulk trash collection for large items that do not fit in the standard cart. Bulk collection is available on a scheduled basis: residents can schedule a pickup through the city's 311 system or the myFW app. Accepted items include furniture, appliances (with Freon removed), mattresses, and large household items. Construction debris, tires, and hazardous materials are not accepted for bulk pickup. The city also operates the Environmental Collection Center for drop-off disposal.
Fort Worth Bulk Item Disposal & Pickup
Light RestrictionsTex. Health & Safety Code Sec. 365.012(a), (e)
Sec. 365.012. ILLEGAL DUMPING; DISCARDING LIGHTED MATERIALS; CRIMINAL PENALTIES. (a) A person commits an offense if the person disposes or allows or permits the disposal of litter or other solid waste at a place that is not an approved solid waste site, including a place on or within 300 feet of a public highway, on a right-of-way, on other public or private property, or into inland or coastal ...
Recycling Requirements
Fort Worth runs its curbside recycling program to help meet the state-mandated 40% recycling goal under City Code § 12.5-824. Recyclables must go only in city-issued recycling carts, and only approved paper, metal, glass and #1-7 plastic items qualify; the director can add or drop accepted materials as recycling markets change.
Fort Worth Curbside Recycling Cart Rules
Some RestrictionsFort Worth City Code § 12.5-824(a)-(c)
(a) In order to help the city achieve its state-mandated recycling goal of 40%, in order to reduce the amount of material deposited in the city's landfill and thereby extend the life of such landfill, and in order to reduce the amount of virgin materials being used in manufacturing, the city strongly encourages its citizens to participate in the city's household recycling program. (b) Recyclabl...
Illegal Dumping
Fort Worth Code § 16-294 makes it a criminal offense to deposit or discharge solid waste, dead animals, foul water, or noxious liquid waste onto any public or private property; both the police department and the Department of Public Health enforce it.
Fort Worth Illegal Dumping Penalties
Some RestrictionsFort Worth City Code § 16-294 (Depositing Filth on Public and Private Property); penalty per § 1-6
(a) No person shall deposit or allow to accumulate on private property, or discharge from any place onto private or public property, or discharge from any place onto private or public property in the city, any dead animal, human or animal waste, foul water, solid waste or any noxious liquid waste. (b) A person commits an offense if the person violates subsection (a) above. (c) The application o...
Yard Waste Collection
Fort Worth requires yard trimmings to go out in kraft paper bags or an optional yard-trimmings cart, never plastic, under City Code § 12.5-823. Small bundled brush tied with twine is unlimited, but loose brush piles are capped at ten cubic yards per household per collection day under § 12.5-823.5.
Fort Worth Yard Trimmings and Brush Rules
Some RestrictionsFort Worth City Code § 12.5-823(a)-(d)
(a) Except as provided by subsection (d) below, yard trimmings shall be placed for city household collection service either in kraft bags supplied by the service unit, or in an optional yard trimmings cart purchased by the service unit from the city. (b) Kraft bags to be used for yard trimmings shall be designed specifically for lawn and garden use, be of a 30 gallon capacity, and composed of t...
Dumpster Rules
Fort Worth requires every commercial waste container, the dumpster used for business and multifamily garbage, to be emptied at least once every seven days, kept mechanically sound, and positioned so its lids and doors are never blocked. Code compliance and environmental staff can order more frequent pickups.
Fort Worth Commercial Dumpster Placement Rules
Some RestrictionsFort Worth City Code § 12.5-831 (Commercial Waste Containers)
(a) Every person who uses commercial waste containers, for city or private collection services, shall maintain such containers in good mechanical condition and shall repair such containers when necessary... (b) Every person who uses commercial waste containers, for city or private collection services, shall cause such containers to be emptied a minimum of once every seven days... (e) Every pers...
Collection Schedule
Fort Worth requires owners and occupants of single-family homes, duplexes, garage apartments and occupied mobile homes to use the city's household collection service under City Code § 12.5-821. Residents may haul their own waste instead, but the code specifically denies them any billing credit for doing so. Larger multifamily buildings, certain mobile home parks and approved private communities can opt out.
Fort Worth Mandatory Household Trash Collection
Some RestrictionsFort Worth City Code § 12.5-821(a)-(b)
(a) The owners or occupants of single-family residences, duplex residences, garage apartments and mobile homes or trailers occupied as dwelling units, shall be required to use city household collection services. Occupants of such premises may remove and transport their own solid waste, but shall receive no credit on their accounts for doing so. (b) The use of city household collection services ...
Recycling Rules
Landlords of Fort Worth multifamily complexes with eight or more units must file and carry out a written recycling plan under City Code § 7-411(c), spelling out materials collected, container placement and hauler pickup frequency. Skipping the plan is a misdemeanor citywide under the multifamily article's enforcement section, punishable up to $2,000 with each day counted separately.
Fort Worth Multifamily Landlord Recycling Plan
Some RestrictionsFort Worth City Code § 7-411(c)
(c) Recycling. (1) Requirement to submit a recycling plan. The landlord of each multifamily dwelling complex with eight or more units must submit a recycling plan in accordance with the following provisions. a. The plan must describe the materials to be recycled, the method of collection and storage of recyclables, and the frequency of pick-ups by an approved waste hauler. The plan shall also i...
Looking for Tarrant County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Fort Worth city rules.
Trash & Recycling in Tarrant County →