Trash & Recycling in Melbourne, FL (2026)
10 verified trash & recycling rules for Melbourne, Florida, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Pickup Rules & Schedules
Melbourne bars setting trash at the curb before 5 p.m. the night before pickup and requires it out by 6:30 a.m. on collection day, placed within four feet of the curb and clear of fire hydrants and driveways.
Melbourne Trash Curb Placement & Timing Rules
Some RestrictionsMelbourne, FL Code of Ordinances § 48-30(9)
(9)Setting out materials for collection.a.Garbage, household trash, recycling and yard trash may not be placed at collection point prior to 5:00 p.m. on the day before collection. To be assured of pick-up, garbage, household trash, recyclables and yard trash shall be placed at collection point prior to 6:30 a.m. on the day of collection.b.Customers shall place their refuse for collection on the...
Bin Placement Rules
Melbourne limits when residents can put garbage, recycling and yard trash at the curb: no earlier than 5:00 p.m. the evening before collection, and in place by 6:30 a.m. on collection day to guarantee pickup. City Code Sec. 48-30(9) also fixes where containers can sit, generally within four feet of the curb and clear of fire hydrants and drainage structures.
Melbourne Garbage Cart Placement & Set-Out Times
Some RestrictionsCity Code of Melbourne, FL § 48-30(9)(a)-(c)
a.Garbage, household trash, recycling and yard trash may not be placed at collection point prior to 5:00 p.m. on the day before collection. To be assured of pick-up, garbage, household trash, recyclables and yard trash shall be placed at collection point prior to 6:30 a.m. on the day of collection.b.Customers shall place their refuse for collection on their own property where the configuration ...
Bulk Item Disposal
Melbourne collects bulk household items like furniture and appliances curbside on regular collection days, but pressure-treated lumber is excluded and must go to the county landfill in Cocoa instead.
Melbourne Bulk & Large Item Trash Pickup
Some RestrictionsMelbourne, FL Code of Ordinances § 48-1 (Household trash); § 48-30(3)
Household trash means any accumulation of waste material from the operation of a home, which is not included within the definition of garbage. Household trash shall include all appliances, furniture, yard toys, building material waste from do-it-yourself projects, and anything else permissible by this Code put out to be picked up. Household trash shall include a maximum of four tires per year, ...
Recycling Requirements
Melbourne supplies a 64-gallon yellow-lid recycling cart to every customer and requires rinsed containers with a lengthy list of banned contaminants, from plastic bags to greasy pizza boxes.
Melbourne Curbside Recycling Rules
Some RestrictionsMelbourne, FL Code of Ordinances § 48-1 (Recycling container); § 48-30(4)
Recycling container means a plastic, color-coded, 64-gallon cart with a yellow lid, used for the storage/collection of recyclable material... (4)Recyclables. Recyclable glass food containers, plastic containers and metal containers shall be rinsed prior to placement in recycling container. Metal cans need not be flattened and labels need not be removed from cans, plastic or glass. Newspapers an...
Holiday Pickup Schedule
When a Melbourne resident's regular trash day falls on a Holiday, the city's franchise agreement pushes collection to the next scheduled collection day rather than skipping the week. Waste Management, the city's exclusive residential hauler, still has to clear any extra bags left outside the cart during Holiday weeks.
Melbourne Holiday Trash Pickup Schedule Shift
Light RestrictionsMelbourne Solid Waste and Recyclables Franchise Agreement § 6.5 (Melbourne City Code, Pt. IV, Art. III)
6.5 Hours and Holidays. Residential Collection Service shall take place between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. In the event Residential Collection Service normal collection day falls on a Holiday, FRANCHISEE shall provide collection on the next scheduled collection day, unless an earlier make-up date is agreed to between the CITY and the FRANCHISEE.
Illegal Dumping
Melbourne makes it illegal to dump garbage, motor oil, excrement or other objectionable waste on any public or private property, or to discharge sewage, industrial waste or other pollutants into a storm sewer or natural outlet outside the city's own sewer system. City Code Sec. 40-3 covers the ban, and violators face the Code's general penalty of up to $500.00 or 60 days in jail.
Melbourne Illegal Dumping & Waste Disposal Ban
Heavy RestrictionsCity Code of Melbourne, FL § 40-3
No person shall place, deposit, spill, dump, or allow to be placed, deposited, spilled or dumped any human or animal excrement, garbage, motor oil or other objectionable waste upon public or private property. No person shall discharge into any storm sewer or natural outlet any sewage, industrial waste, household hazardous waste or other pollutants, polluted water or liquid except through the ci...
Yard Waste Collection
Melbourne caps garden and yard trash at 50 pounds per container, bans plastic or paper bags for storage, and requires it to be kept separate from household refuse and recyclables at the curb.
Melbourne Yard Waste Collection Rules
Some RestrictionsMelbourne, FL Code of Ordinances § 48-1 (Garden and yard trash); § 48-30(5)
Garden and yard trash (fine trash) means grass, palm fronds, leaves, branches, shrubs, vines, trees, and other similar items generated by the normal maintenance of lawns, shrubs, gardens and trees. Garden and yard trash must be generated by the customer and at the residential unit wherein the garden and yard trash are collected. This term "garden and yard trash" does not include items generated...
Dumpster Rules
Melbourne City Code Sec. 9.22 bans trash and recycling dumpsters from front yards and street frontages, sets minimum setbacks from residential buildings and property lines, and mandates a reinforced concrete pad plus a six-foot screen. The public works and utilities director reviews and approves every receptacle plan before a permit issues, and only that director can grant a variance.
Melbourne Dumpster & Trash Enclosure Rules
Some RestrictionsMelbourne City Code § 9.22
(a)The receptacles may not be located in a front yard or along a public or private street or thoroughfare. Receptacles may be located in a side or rear yard provided it is not closer than 10 feet to the property line.(b)Receptacles may not encroach upon any parking area and must be clearly accessible to sanitation vehicles. Curbing in front of an access area is not permitted.(c)Residential rece...
Collection Schedule
Every occupied residential, multifamily, and commercial unit in Melbourne must subscribe to and pay for the city's solid waste and recycling collection service, whether or not the property actually recycles.
Melbourne Mandatory Trash Collection Service
Some RestrictionsMelbourne, FL Code of Ordinances § 48-53(a)
(a)Solid waste and recycling collection. All owners and/or tenants, agents, lessors, lessees, operators, of residential units, multifamily units and commercial units, occupied or unoccupied, operating and non-operating, shall be required to receive solid waste collection services as described in this chapter and shall be required to subscribe to and pay for the solid waste and recycling collect...
Recycling Rules
Melbourne requires households to rinse glass, plastic and metal containers before setting them in the recycling bin and bars a specific list of contaminants, from plastic bags to dirty pizza boxes, out of that container entirely. City Code Sec. 48-30(4) governs what goes in the bin, while Sec. 48-30(9)(k) makes it a violation for anyone other than the city's contractor to remove recyclables once they're set at the curb.
Melbourne Curbside Recycling Preparation Rules
Some RestrictionsCity Code of Melbourne, FL § 48-30(4)
(4)Recyclables. Recyclable glass food containers, plastic containers and metal containers shall be rinsed prior to placement in recycling container. Metal cans need not be flattened and labels need not be removed from cans, plastic or glass. Newspapers and other paper products shall be free of food and other contaminants when placed in recycling container. Recycling containers shall be supplied...
Looking for Brevard County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Melbourne city rules.
Trash & Recycling in Brevard County →