Trash & Recycling in Tallahassee, FL (2026)
7 verified trash & recycling rules for Tallahassee, Florida, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Pickup Rules & Schedules
Standard residential service is weekly curbside garbage and recycling plus bulky waste and yard waste every other week. Put carts out no earlier than the day before collection and return them by the day after.
Tallahassee Trash and Recycling Set-Out Rules
Some RestrictionsTallahassee Code of Ordinances § 21-481 (Definitions); § 21-484(b); § 21-487(b) and (g) (Residential waste and recovered materials); § 21-489 (Bulky waste); § 21-515 (Violation and enforcement)
403.706 Local government solid waste responsibilities. - (1) The governing body of a county has the responsibility and power to provide for the operation of solid waste disposal facilities to meet the needs of all incorporated and unincorporated areas of the county. Unless otherwise approved by an interlocal agreement or special act, municipalities may not operate solid waste disposal facilitie...
Bin Placement Rules
Tallahassee's Department of Solid Waste Services requires garbage and recycling containers to sit at least three feet from utility poles, fire hydrants, signs and irrigation equipment, and ten feet clear for bulky waste. Containers must be city-approved and never overfilled to the point the lid cannot close, and violators face fines starting at $250.00.
Tallahassee Trash Cart Placement and Clearance Rules
Some RestrictionsTallahassee Code of General Ordinances § 21-485(e)
No person shall place, for collection, any accumulation of solid waste or recovered materials within three feet, or within ten feet with respect to bulky waste, of any obstacle or structure, such as a utility pole or pedestal, guy wires or other support structures or installations, signs, fire hydrants, or any portion of an irrigation system or backflow prevention device. The city shall not be ...
Recycling Requirements
Tallahassee's Department of Solid Waste Services must issue every single-family home a recovered-material container when service starts, and it must do the same for apartment complexes, either as individual bins or a shared roll-off recycling center. Section 21-487(a) of the Code of General Ordinances keeps the container city property, and section 21-485(g) bars mixing recyclables with regular trash.
Tallahassee Curbside Recycling Container Requirements
Some RestrictionsTallahassee Code of General Ordinances § 21-487(a)(3)-(4)
Recovered material containers for single-family residential establishments. The department shall provide a recovered material container to each single-family residential establishment upon initial commencement of service at that location. The container shall be assigned to that residential establishment but shall remain the property of the department, which shall be responsible for maintenance ...
Illegal Dumping
Tallahassee bans dumping solid waste or recovered materials on any street, alley, or public or private property unless it sits directly in front of the dumper's own address. The Code of General Ordinances also forbids burying waste outside a state-permitted landfill and bars dumping into storm drains or drainage ditches. The Department of Solid Waste Services enforces violations with escalating fines.
Tallahassee Illegal Dumping Ban and Fines
Heavy RestrictionsTallahassee Code of General Ordinances § 21-485(b)
No person shall place any accumulation of solid waste or recovered materials in any street, alley or other public place of travel nor upon any private or public property, except adjacent to and directly in front of such person's own property. In all cases where conditions permit, such placement shall be in the area behind the curb or the area behind the back slope of the roadside drainage ditch.
Yard Waste Collection
Tallahassee caps every curbside yard waste pile at six feet long, four feet wide and four feet high, and limbs cannot exceed four inches in diameter or six-foot lengths. Section 21-488 of the Code of General Ordinances requires leaves, grass and pine straw to go in bags or boxes, with trimmings stacked parallel to the curb.
Tallahassee Yard Waste Pile Size Limits
Some RestrictionsTallahassee Code of General Ordinances § 21-488(b)-(c)
Containment of leaves, grass clippings and pine straw. Leaves, grass clippings, and pine straw shall be placed at the curb in manageable containers, such as heavy-duty plastic or paper trash bags and cardboard boxes; and all such waste must be placed in piles no larger than six feet long, four feet wide, and four feet high. Tree trimmings, limbs and shrubbery. Tree trimmings, limbs and shrubber...
Dumpster Rules
Tallahassee commercial establishments must contain their waste in a forktainer, roll-off container, or director-approved rear-load container, and must locate it where city trucks have safe, ready access. Section 21-486 of the Code of General Ordinances requires a service permit approving the container, its location, and any enclosure before an establishment or apartment complex can put a dumpster in place.
Tallahassee Commercial Dumpster Placement Rules
Some RestrictionsTallahassee Code of General Ordinances § 21-486(b)(1)
Location of containers. Establishments shall locate all containers so as to allow ready, reasonable and safe access by city solid waste and recycling vehicles. The establishment shall be responsible for maintaining the container, its location, and any necessary access route over private property. All commercial establishments and apartments shall apply for approval, by the city, of containers p...
Recycling Rules
Once a Tallahassee resident sets recyclables out for collection, they become the property of the city, not the resident, and only the department's authorized collector may take them. Section 21-487(c) of the Code of General Ordinances makes it a violation for anyone else to pick through or remove curbside recycling, and section 21-495 backs that ban with a flat $500.00 fine.
Tallahassee Recyclable Scavenging Ban and Fine
Heavy RestrictionsTallahassee Code of General Ordinances §§ 21-487(c), 21-495
Ownership of recovered material from residential establishments. From the time any recovered material from a residential establishment is placed for collection pursuant to authorization by the city, such materials shall become and be the property of the city. Furthermore, it shall be a violation of this article for any person not specifically so authorized by the director to collect, pick up, o...
Looking for Leon County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Tallahassee city rules.
Trash & Recycling in Leon County →