Trash & Recycling in Memphis, TN (2026)
9 verified trash & recycling rules for Memphis, Tennessee, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Pickup Rules & Schedules
Memphis collects your green garbage cart and gray recycling cart weekly on the same day, with twice-monthly Outside-the-Cart bulk pickup. Find your day in the Memphis Curbside Collection app; some holidays shift routes.
Memphis Trash Pickup Schedule & Rules
Some RestrictionsMemphis Clean City Guide — Household Garbage/Solid Waste
The Division of Solid Waste Management is responsible for collecting and disposing of solid waste in accordance with state and federal laws. The City of Memphis provides a 96-gallon receptacle to Solid Waste fee-paying customers for the disposal of household garbage/solid waste. Special Note: It is against the law for residents to burn trash within city limits. Carts should be placed at curbsid...
Bin Placement Rules
Memphis residents must place their city-issued roll cart at the curb with the handle facing the house and the opening facing the street. Carts must be at least 3 feet from mailboxes, utility poles, parked cars, and other obstacles. Carts should be on a flat surface at the edge of the curb or street. On non-collection days, carts must be stored behind the front plane of the house or otherwise out of public view.
Memphis Trash Bin Placement Rules
Some RestrictionsMemphis Clean City Guide — Household Garbage/Solid Waste
Carts should be placed at curbside for trash pickup after 5:00 pm the day before or before 7:00 am the day of collection. Carts should be removed from curbside by 8:00 am the day after regularly scheduled collection. Handle trash responsibly by bagging it, sealing/tying the bags and closing/securing the lid on the cart. Every week, customers are allowed to place up to two 60-gallon bags of yard...
Bulk Item Disposal
Memphis provides bulk waste pickup for items that do not fit in the standard roll cart. Residents must call 311 or use the Memphis 311 app to schedule a bulk pickup. Items should be placed at the curb on the scheduled date. Accepted items include furniture, mattresses, appliances, and large household items. Hazardous waste, tires, and construction debris are not accepted through bulk pickup and must be taken to designated drop-off locations.
Memphis Bulk Item Disposal & Pickup
Some RestrictionsTennessee Code, Section 39-14-505; Memphis Code, Section 9-56-10; Memphis Code, Article 1, Division 2, Section 9-56-17 through 9-56-18
Residents can place appliances, bulky items and yard waste that will not fit inside the cart curbside for pickup on designated Bulk Collection Weeks. These items must be safe and secured on the curb to prevent safety hazards. The Division of Solid Waste Management provides a "Bulk Week" service twice a month. Bulky item piles are limited to half a cubic yard, and bulky item piles should be plac...
Recycling Requirements
Memphis provides curbside recycling collection through a separate blue recycling cart. Recycling is single-stream, meaning all accepted recyclables go in one cart. Accepted materials include paper, cardboard, plastic bottles and containers (#1-#7), aluminum and steel cans, and glass bottles. Contaminated items, plastic bags, and food waste should not be placed in the recycling cart. Recycling is collected on the same day as trash but may be on an alternate schedule.
Memphis Mandatory Recycling Requirements
Some RestrictionsTennessee Solid Waste Processing and Disposal Rule 0400-11-01-09 Waste Reduction & Planning. Effective September 17, 2012
Curbside recycling is provided for all single-family homes and multi-family housing complexes of seven (7) units or fewer. The Solid Waste Management Division provides fee-paying households a 96-gallon recycling cart to collect paper, cardboard, plastics (#1 - #7), aluminum and steel cans, glass bottles and jars, and clean milk/food cartons. It is all "single stream, no sort" recycling. If you ...
Illegal Dumping
Memphis Code § 9-60-2 bans throwing, dumping or depositing litter on any property, public or private, and on parkways, streets, parks or recreation areas unless the site is designated for that use. A violation is a misdemeanor carrying up to a $50.00 fine per offense under § 9-60-7, plus a $50.00 traffic citation and possible vehicle impoundment when dumping is traced to a motor vehicle.
Memphis Illegal Dumping & Litter Ban
Heavy RestrictionsMemphis Code of Ordinances §§ 9-60-2, 9-60-7
A person shall not throw, dump, deposit, or cause to be thrown, dumped, or deposited, litter or maintain a nuisance on property, improved or vacant or on any public parkway, pathway, street, or road, upon public parks, or recreation areas, or upon any other public property, except that property designated for that use. ... A person who violates a provision of this chapter shall be guilty of a m...
Yard Waste Collection
Memphis Code § 9-56-11 requires leaves, grass cuttings, garden trimmings, weeds and roots to go out in disposable containers or carts at the front property line, or the back line where alley pickup runs, and caps each container at roughly 30 gallons, the maximum a collector can lift by hand. Bulky trimmings and tree limbs must be separated and neatly placed at the curb.
Memphis Yard Waste Collection Rules
Some RestrictionsMemphis Code of Ordinances § 9-56-11
Leaves, grass cuttings and garden trimmings, weeds and roots from which all dirt has been removed shall be deposited in disposable containers or carts and placed adjacent to the front property line or at the back property line where alley collection is provided... They shall not exceed in size the approximate capacity of a 30-gallon regulation solid waste container which is considered the maxim...
Dumpster Rules
Memphis Code § 9-56-26.1 regulates commercial dumpsters in the downtown solid waste collection district bounded by the Mississippi River, Auction Street, Danny Thomas Boulevard and G.E. Patterson. Any dumpster there needs a location permit, must be screened from public view unless in an approved right-of-way site, and its owner pays the city $200.00 a month for the right-of-way space.
Memphis Downtown Dumpster Regulations
Significant RestrictionsMemphis Code of Ordinances § 9-56-26.1
For purposes of this section, "dumpster" means a watertight container constructed of impervious material and provided with a cover or covers of like material intended and designed to be used for the retention or storage of garbage, refuse or recyclable materials... The owner of any dumpster located in a public right-of-way within the downtown solid waste collection district shall pay to the cit...
Collection Schedule
City Code § 9-56-3 makes solid waste collection in Memphis exclusive to the city: no one else may collect, remove or dispose of solid waste here except a private collector holding a location permit under § 9-56-25. Every residential unit is automatically issued at least one 90-gallon garbage cart under § 9-56-12 and billed monthly, whether or not the cart is ever set out.
Memphis Mandatory Solid Waste Collection
Some RestrictionsMemphis Code of Ordinances § 9-56-3
It is unlawful for any person other than the city to engage in the business of collecting, removing, and disposing of solid waste in the city, except those private collectors specifically authorized by permit.
Recycling Rules
Every residential solid waste account in Memphis is assigned at least one 90-gallon recycle cart alongside its required 90-gallon garbage cart under City Code § 9-56-12, Note 1, and the city defines a 'recycling bin' at § 9-56-1 as any container it distributes for collecting recyclable materials curbside.
Memphis Residential Recycling Cart Program
Some RestrictionsMemphis Code §§ 9-56-1, 9-56-12
Recycling bin means any container distributed or designated by the city for use as a repository for recyclable materials, the materials to be collected by the city or its designee. ... Notes: 1. Residential customers will be assigned a minimum of one 90-gallon garbage cart and one 90-gallon recycle cart, for a total of two carts. Residential customers must have at least one 90-gallon garbage ca...
Looking for Shelby County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Memphis city rules.
Trash & Recycling in Shelby County →