Trash & Recycling in Waco, TX (2026)
9 verified trash & recycling rules for Waco, Texas, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Pickup Rules & Schedules
Waco issues each single-family or duplex household one grey 95-gallon trash cart under Sec. 21-22, and every bag of trash inside it must be a securely tied disposable plastic bag; yard waste can never go in the grey cart or the blue recycling cart. Broken glass, needles, ashes and dead animals under five pounds each carry their own wrapping and labeling rules before collection.
Waco Residential Trash Cart Preparation Rules
Some RestrictionsWaco, Tex., Code of Ordinances § 21-22 (Preparation of residential trash for collection)
(a)Except as provided in subsection (b) below, each service unit (including single-family and duplex residential dwelling units but excluding other multifamily residential dwelling units) will be provided one 95 gallon cart, grey in color, for the collection of residential trash (additional carts may be provided upon request at an additional fee). Trash shall be placed for city residential coll...
Bin Placement Rules
Waco requires carts and brush at the curb by 7:00 a.m. on collection day but not before 6:00 p.m. the evening prior, and everything must be off the curb by 11:59:59 p.m. that night under Sec. 21-26. Carts need three feet of clearance on each side and a half foot to the rear from meters, hydrants, poles and trees, and loaded contents cannot exceed 250 pounds.
Waco Curbside Cart Placement and Set-Out Times
Some RestrictionsWaco, Tex., Code of Ordinances § 21-26 (Placement of garbage, yard waste, brush and recyclables for curbside city residential collection service)
(b)Garbage carts, yard waste carts, yard waste bags, brush and recycling carts shall be placed at the curb no later than 7:00 a.m. on the scheduled collection day as determined by the director, and no earlier than 6:00 p.m. on the day preceding the scheduled collection day. All carts, yard waste bags and brush shall be removed from the curb, and from public sight, by 11:59:59 p.m. of the schedu...
Bulk Item Disposal
Waco gives each service unit one free bulky waste pickup per month, capped at eight cubic yards, about a pile six feet wide, six feet high and six feet long. Residents must call the solid waste customer service section to request pickup within eight hours of setting items at the curb, and stack everything neatly away from meters, hydrants and utility poles.
Waco Bulky Waste Collection Limits and Rules
Some RestrictionsWaco, Tex., Code of Ordinances § 21-29(a)-(c)
Bulky waste items shall be collected upon request of the owner and/or person in control of a service unit by calling the solid waste customer service section to request collection. Such request must be made within eight hours of placement for collection.(b)Each service unit shall be provided one bulky waste collection each month.(c)No more than eight cubic yards of bulky waste per service unit ...
Recycling Requirements
Once Waco recyclables hit an authorized blue cart or drop-off container, City Code Sec. 21-8 makes them city property by operation of law, and Sec. 21-10 turns removing them back out into a Texas Penal Code theft offense. Sec. 21-9 backs the rule by formally declaring that recyclable material has value, closing off any 'it's just trash' defense to scavenging a cart.
Waco Recycling Ownership and Anti-Theft Rules
Some RestrictionsWaco, Tex., Code of Ordinances §§ 21-8, 21-9, 21-10 (Ownership of recyclable material; Value; Theft of recyclable material prohibited)
Sec. 21-8. Placing recyclable material in an authorized recycling container at a designated recycling location shall be deemed an abandonment of said recycling material and title to the material shall vest in the city. Sec. 21-9. It is hereby declared that recyclable material has value. Sec. 21-10. Any person, other than an authorized city employee or law enforcement officer in the discharge of...
Illegal Dumping
Waco's nuisance code makes it unlawful to throw or dump litter, junk, rubbish or garbage on any occupied, unoccupied or vacant privately owned property in the city, per Sec. 16-96, and separately bans letting such material accumulate once it lands there. Violators face the chapter 16 general penalty of up to $2,000.00, with criminal negligence enough to prove the accumulation offenses.
Waco Ban on Dumping Litter, Junk on Private Land
Some RestrictionsWaco, Tex., Code of Ordinances § 16-96 (Private property generally); penalty § 1-14
(a)No person may throw or deposit litter or junk on occupied, unoccupied or vacant privately owned property within the city.(b)No person may accumulate or allow to accumulate litter, junk, rubbish or garbage on occupied, unoccupied or vacant privately owned property within the city.(c)No person may accumulate or allow to accumulate within any house, building or other structure any filth, carrio...
Yard Waste Collection
Waco gives single-family, duplex and quadriplex households up to two green carts, plus as many as 20 biodegradable paper yard-waste bags per collection day, under Sec. 21-23, but plastic bags are barred outright. Brush must be stacked at the curb in piles no bigger than four feet on a side, with no limb longer than four feet or thicker than three inches, per Sec. 21-24.
Waco Yard Waste and Brush Collection Rules
Some RestrictionsWaco, Tex., Code of Ordinances §§ 21-23, 21-24 (Permitted yard waste and preparation of yard waste for collection; Permitted brush and preparation of brush for collection)
Sec. 21-23(a)Only the following yard waste shall be placed for city residential collection service:(1)Yard waste that results from routine and customary residential...yard maintenance...(b)Each service unit...will be provided no more than two carts, green in color, for the collection of yard waste...Yard waste shall be placed for city residential collection service only in:(1)Green yard waste c...
Dumpster Rules
Waco lets residential and commercial customers rent roll-off containers from ten to 40 cubic yards through Solid Waste Services, but every container must sit on private property on a firm surface, clear of overhead lines, and never in a public street without the director's written approval. Paint, liquid waste, pesticides, batteries, motor oil, brush and tires are barred from the box.
Waco Roll-Off Container Placement Rules
Some RestrictionsWaco, Tex., Code of Ordinances § 21-39(b)-(d)
(b)Container sizes range from ten cubic yards to 40 cubic yards.(c)The following type of waste may not be placed into a roll-off container: paint, liquid wastes, pesticides, batteries, motor oil, brush, and tires;(d)Roll-off containers must be placed:(1)On a firm, stable surface of sufficient strength to support both the container and truck which accesses the container;(2)At a location which is...
Collection Schedule
Waco requires every residential, commercial, industrial and institutional property within city limits to maintain solid waste collection service under City Code Sec. 21-2; owners, occupants and lessees must actively watch their carts and containers, and if the city fails to empty them for seven straight days, the property owner is the one obligated to notify the city rather than simply going without pickup.
Waco Mandatory Solid Waste Collection Service
Some RestrictionsWaco, Tex., Code of Ordinances § 21-2 (Duty to have solid waste collected)
All residential, commercial, industrial and institutional locations within the city limits shall have solid waste collection services. Every owner, occupant or lessee of any residential, office, commercial or industrial premises shall maintain regular supervision and surveillance over all waste collection carts and containers on the premises. If no waste carts or containers have been placed, or...
Recycling Rules
Waco's blue recycling carts accept only paper, metals and #1-#2 plastic bottles, cups and jars under City Code Sec. 21-25; residents get up to two 95-gallon carts per household but must keep glass, foil, pizza boxes, Styrofoam and #3-#7 plastics out entirely. Sending prohibited items to curbside recycling is itself unlawful, so mis-sorting a Waco blue cart carries real risk under the sanitation code.
Waco Curbside Recycling Accepted Materials Rules
Some RestrictionsWaco, Tex., Code of Ordinances § 21-25 (Preparation of recyclables for collection)
(a)Each service unit (including single-family and duplex residential dwelling units but excluding other multifamily residential dwelling units) will be provided no more than two carts, blue in color, for the collection of recyclables (additional carts may be provided for an additional fee)...(d)Recyclables shall be placed for city residential collection service only in recycling carts provided ...