5 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in Ada County, Idaho.
Verified from official government sources
In unincorporated Ada County, residential trash collection is mandatory: owners served by the county's contractor must receive weekly trash service and pay for it under Ada County Code 5-2-4-1. Hardin Sanitation is the current contractor; recycling is collected every other week.
Ada County Code 5-2-4-1
...shall be provided solid waste collection services, and shall be required to pay for such services...
Ada County Code 5-2-4-3 requires carts to be placed no more than four feet from the street without blocking parking, driveways, or pedestrians. Set carts out by 7:00 A.M. on collection day, no earlier than the evening before, and don't leave them curbside between pickups.
Ada County Code 5-2-4-3
All sanitary containers shall be made available for conveyance to contractor's vehicles by placement no more than four feet (4') from the street, or as close as reasonably possible to the street, without obstructing parking areas, exit/entrances or pedestrian traffic.
Residents can self-haul bulky items to the Ada County Landfill (Hidden Hollow), 10th & Fairview area at 200 W. Front St. billing. General trash costs a $15 minimum (up to 1,035 lbs) or $33/ton. Only Ada County-generated waste is accepted, and users need a valid driver's license.
Ada County Code 5-2-5-1
Only waste generated in Ada County or at the Bogus Basin Recreation Area may be deposited at county operated disposal sites... With the exception of out of county waste as approved by the board, only residents of Ada County may deposit waste at a county operated disposal site.
Ada County provides curbside single-stream recycling to unincorporated residents: each household gets a 95-gallon recycling cart (blue with an orange lid) collected every other week alongside mandatory trash service under Title 5, Chapter 2. Participation isn't separately mandated, but the cart is part of standard service.
Dumping trash on public or private land without authorization is illegal statewide under Idaho Code 18-7031, carrying a $150 first-offense fine that escalates to a misdemeanor with jail for repeat offenders. Report illegal dumpsites to the Ada County Landfill at (208) 577-4725.
Idaho Code 18-7031
It shall constitute an infraction for any person, natural or artificial, to deposit upon any public or private property within this state any debris, paper, litter, glass bottles, glass, nails, tacks, hooks, hoops, cans, barbed wire, boards, trash, garbage, lighted material or other waste substances on any place not authorized by any county, city, village or the owner of such property...
1 cities in Ada County have their own trash & recycling rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
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