Trash & Recycling in St. Louis, MO (2026)
9 verified trash & recycling rules for St. Louis, Missouri, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Pickup Rules & Schedules
St. Louis bars residents from setting refuse containers on the public right-of-way before noon the day ahead of collection or leaving them out past 11 p.m. on collection day.
St. Louis Trash Pickup Timing Rules
Some RestrictionsSt. Louis Revised Code § 11.02.195(D)
No such refuse container shall be placed on a public right-of-way before 12:00 noon on the day preceding the day on which the refuse is scheduled to be collected. No such container shall be placed or left on the public right-of-way after eleven p.m. on the day on which the refuse is collected.
Bin Placement Rules
St. Louis roll-out trash carts must sit at or within two feet of the curb, never on the sidewalk, and only between 6 p.m. the night before and 11 p.m. on collection day.
St. Louis Trash Cart Placement Times
Some RestrictionsSt. Louis Revised Code § 11.02.245 (E, F)
Roll-out carts shall be placed for collection at or within two feet of the curb in front of the dwelling unit... carts shall at no time be placed on sidewalks, unless directed by the Refuse Commissioner. ...No such cart shall be placed or allowed to remain on the public right-of-way before six p.m. on the day preceding the day on which the refuse is scheduled to be collected. No such cart shall...
Bulk Item Disposal
St. Louis requires oversized refuse to be bundled to no more than 3 feet long, 1 foot across, and 75 pounds, then set next to your container for pickup.
St. Louis Bulk Item Bundling Rules
Some RestrictionsSt. Louis Revised Code § 11.02.195(C)
Items of refuse too large for such containers shall be tied in bundles not longer than three feet and not more than one foot in diameter, and not exceeding 75 pounds in weight, and placed adjacent to the container. Not more than two automobile tires will be collected at one collection point. Tires to be collected shall be tagged or marked "take." Except as provided herein, nothing shall be plac...
Recycling Requirements
St. Louis defines recyclables by ordinance, newspapers, cardboard, mixed paper, aluminum and steel cans, glass bottles, and No. 1–2 plastic bottles and jugs, and bars scavenging from any container marked for recycling, backed by the code's standard refuse penalties.
St. Louis Curbside Recycling Rules
Some RestrictionsSt. Louis Revised Code § 11.02.077
"Recyclables" means those materials recovered from the solid waste stream and shall include newspapers, telephone books, corrugated cardboard, paperboard, mixed office paper, magazines and catalogues, aluminum cans, steel food cans, steel aerosol cans, glass bottles (clear, green, and brown) and No. 1 and No. 2 plastic bottles and jugs.
Illegal Dumping
Dumping debris, trash, or refuse on another's property or public land without permission is a misdemeanor in St. Louis, with escalating fines and mandatory jail time starting at the first offense.
St. Louis Illegal Dumping Penalties
Heavy RestrictionsSt. Louis Revised Code §§ 15.80.010, 15.80.020
No person, natural or legal, shall deposit debris, trash, refuse or the like upon the real property of another or on public land or property, without lawful permission or authority. ... For the first conviction, by a minimum fine of one hundred dollars ($100.00), and a maximum fine of one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) and incarcerated in the City Jail for three (3) days
Yard Waste Collection
St. Louis limits yard waste bins to leaves, grass clippings, and garden vegetation from residential lots, bars lawn services and commercial properties from using them, and prohibits blowing waste onto streets or sidewalks.
St. Louis Yard Waste Collection Rules
Some RestrictionsSt. Louis Revised Code § 11.85.020
Yard waste shall not be placed in a City-owned yard waste container by private lawn service businesses unless the yard waste comes from a private residential lot on the block where the City-owned yard waste container is located.... Yard waste shall not be placed, moved or mechanically blown onto public or private streets, walkways, alleys, sidewalks or roadways.
Dumpster Rules
St. Louis requires nonresidential refuse containers to be screened from street view and emptied weekly, with no collection near homes between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m.
St. Louis Commercial Dumpster Placement Rules
Some RestrictionsSt. Louis Revised Code § 11.02.255(E), (F)
Containers for nonresidential refuse shall be located in an area screened from view from the street, unless it is absolutely necessary to have the container viewable from the street... No refuse shall be collected from nonresidential premises within two hundred (200) feet of residentially zoned premises or any premises used as a dwelling...between the hours of eight p.m. and six a.m.
Collection Schedule
The Refuse Commissioner sets St. Louis's residential collection days by route, and every dwelling unit pays a $14.00 monthly solid waste services fee unless a private hauler already provides equivalent service.
St. Louis Residential Trash Collection Rules
Some RestrictionsSt. Louis Revised Code § 11.02.125
The Refuse Division shall collect and dispose of refuse from residential premises when it is prepared and placed for collection as provided herein. Collections shall be made at regular intervals on collection days to be determined by the Refuse Commissioner, who is authorized to determine the points of collection when they are not designated in this chapter.
Recycling Rules
St. Louis defines recyclables by ordinance and bans scavenging from any refuse or recycling container citywide, protecting curbside material for the Refuse Division's own collection program.
St. Louis Recycling Scavenging Ban
Some RestrictionsSt. Louis Revised Code §§ 11.02.077, 11.02.185
"Recyclables" means those materials recovered from the solid waste stream and shall include newspapers, telephone books, corrugated cardboard, paperboard, mixed office paper, magazines and catalogues, aluminum cans, steel food cans, steel aerosol cans, glass bottles (clear, green, and brown) and No. 1 and No. 2 plastic bottles and jugs. ... Scavenging in or from any refuse container or in or fr...