Trash & Recycling in St. Petersburg, FL (2026)
9 verified trash & recycling rules for St. Petersburg, Florida, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Pickup Rules & Schedules
St. Petersburg limits when and where bulk garbage and recycling containers can sit at the curb: out no earlier than 7:00 p.m. the night before collection, back off the curb by 7:00 p.m. collection day, and placed no more than two feet from the curb under City Code §§ 27-533 and 27-539.
St. Petersburg Trash and Recycling Pickup Rules
Some RestrictionsSt. Petersburg City Code §§ 27-533, 27-539
(a) Prohibited hours. Approved bulk garbage or bulk recycling containers placed near the curb or alley must be placed there no earlier than 7:00 p.m. of the evening preceding the collection day and must be removed to a point at the side or rear of the structure not later than the later of 7:00 p.m. of the day of collection or when the container has been emptied. (b) Collection time. All approve...
Bin Placement Rules
St. Petersburg residents may set garbage and recycling carts at the curb or alley no earlier than 7 p.m. the evening before collection, must have them out by 7 a.m. on collection day, and must pull them back by 7 p.m. that day under § 27-533.
St. Petersburg Cart Set-Out Time Limits
Some RestrictionsSt. Petersburg City Code § 27-533
(a) Prohibited hours. Approved bulk garbage or bulk recycling containers placed near the curb or alley must be placed there no earlier than 7:00 p.m. of the evening preceding the collection day and must be removed to a point at the side or rear of the structure not later than the later of 7:00 p.m. of the day of collection or when the container has been emptied. (b) Collection time. All approve...
Bulk Item Disposal
Residents who pay sanitation charges can self-haul brush, grass clippings, and mixed metals to a City brush disposal site under § 27-505 with no volume limit, but construction debris, most lawn-service loads, and multi-address loads are barred.
St. Petersburg Brush Disposal Site Rules
Some RestrictionsSt. Petersburg City Code § 27-505
(a) Only material generated on qualified properties is permitted to be deposited at the brush disposal sites. Qualified properties are those which pay sanitation collection charges or special service charges for privately collected roll off containers to the City. There is no limit to the amount an individual may deposit... (c) Deposits from construction-sites, operators of lawn services, excep...
Recycling Requirements
Residents of single-family homes and multifamily properties of four units or less who participate in St. Petersburg's single-stream recycling program must use the City-furnished bulk recycling container under § 27-534, with the recycling fee billed regardless of participation status.
St. Petersburg Curbside Recycling Cart Requirement
Some RestrictionsSt. Petersburg City Code § 27-534
All residents or occupants of any single-family residence, and the owner, manager, or occupant of any multifamily residential property or of any business, institutional, or commercial establishment within the City are hereby required to use those bulk garbage containers provided by the City... All residents or occupants of a single-family residence or multifamily residential properties of four ...
Illegal Dumping
Dumping garbage, recyclables, garden trash, or rubbish on someone else's property, in streets, parks, or in any canal, waterway or lake within St. Petersburg is unlawful under § 27-465, and using another resident's paid container without authorization is likewise prohibited.
St. Petersburg Illegal Dumping Ordinance
Significant RestrictionsSt. Petersburg City Code § 27-465
It is unlawful to deposit garbage, recyclable material, industrial waste, garden trash, noncombustibles, or rubbish upon the premises of another or upon any street, alley, park or other public property, or in any canal, water, waterway, rock pit, pool or lake within the City, or in any container upon which any other person has paid the collection fee as provided by this article...
Yard Waste Collection
Garden trash and tree trimmings must go into the City's bulk garbage container under § 27-500, with trimmings cut to no more than 3 inches in diameter and 4 feet long; stumps, trunks and larger limbs are refused and left curbside piles are unlawful.
St. Petersburg Garden Trash Collection Rules
Some RestrictionsSt. Petersburg City Code § 27-500
(a) Single-family residences, multifamily residential properties, and commercial establishments serviced by curbside or alley pick-up are required to place all garden trash into bulk garbage containers provided by the City... (b) Tree trimmings must be reduced in size to fit into the bulk garbage container to allow the lid to close and be of a diameter of not more than three inches and no large...
Dumpster Rules
Commercial dumpsters and roll-off containers in St. Petersburg must sit where collection trucks can reach and dump them without the driver leaving the cab, and any enclosure built around one must be at least 12 feet square under § 27-539(a).
St. Petersburg Commercial Dumpster Placement Rules
Some RestrictionsSt. Petersburg City Code § 27-539(a)
Commercial bulk garbage containers must be kept in a place easily accessible to collection vehicles at all times. No service will be provided to those places permitting objects, obstructions, or vehicles to hinder in any way whatsoever the servicing of the commercial bulk garbage containers... Such fences, walled areas, and enclosures should be designed for that container only and must be a min...
Collection Schedule
St. Petersburg is the exclusive provider of residential garbage and single-stream recycling collection inside city limits: private haulers cannot compete for that business. Bulk garbage containers must be emptied at least twice a week in residential areas, and recycling generally goes out once every two weeks under City Code § 27-502.
St. Petersburg Trash Collection Schedule Rules
Some RestrictionsSt. Petersburg City Code §§ 27-497, 27-502
The City is the exclusive provider of the following solid waste collection services, and no permit will be issued to any person for the following solid waste collection services: (1) the collection and transportation of recyclable material designated for the City's single-stream recycling program for single-family residences and multifamily residential properties of four living units or less, a...
Recycling Rules
St. Petersburg runs the only legal recycling collection in the city. Under City Code § 27-497, only the City may collect single-stream recyclables from single-family homes and multifamily properties of four units or less, and no private hauler may be permitted to do so.
St. Petersburg Recycling Collection Rules
Some RestrictionsSt. Petersburg City Code § 27-497
The City is the exclusive provider of the following solid waste collection services, and no permit will be issued to any person for the following solid waste collection services: (1) the collection and transportation of recyclable material designated for the City's single-stream recycling program for single-family residences and multifamily residential properties of four living units or less......
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County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement St. Petersburg city rules.
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