Trash & Recycling in St. Louis County, MO (2026)
8 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in St. Louis County, Missouri.
Verified from official government sources
Pickup Rules & Schedules
St. Louis County Code §607.181 defines a minimum level of service with three components: once-per-week trash collection, once-per-week recycling collection, and twice-yearly bulky waste pickup. Every residential hauler licensed by the St. Louis County Department of Health must provide all three whenever it provides basic trash service to a one- or two-family residence anywhere in St. Louis County.
Minimum Trash Service Standard
Heavy RestrictionsSt. Louis County Code §607.181
Sec. 607.181. — The minimum level of service includes three (3) components: 1) once-per-week trash collection; 2) once-per-week recycling collection; and 3) twice-yearly bulky waste pickup. All residential haulers licensed by St. Louis County Department of Health are required to provide these three (3) components whenever they provide basic trash service to any one- and two-family residence in ...
Bin Placement Rules
St. Louis County Code § 607.120 requires residential trash and recycling containers to be stored at least three feet behind the front of the main residential structure, set at the collection point no earlier than dusk the day before pickup, and returned to storage the same day as collection. County citations run from $25 to $100 for a first violation.
St. Louis County Trash and Recycling Bin Placement Rules
Some RestrictionsSt. Louis County Code § 607.120
1. Residential waste and/or recovered material containers and bulky/non-containerized waste shall be stored upon the premises where the waste was generated, unless written permission for storage on other premises is obtained from a person having authority to grant such permission. The containers and bulky/non-containerized waste shall be stored at least three (3) feet behind the front of the ma...
Bulk Item Disposal
St. Louis County Code § 607.120 controls where bulky waste sits and when it goes out: keep it on the property where it was generated, at least 3 feet behind the front of the main house, and set it at the collection point no earlier than dusk of the day before pickup. Licensed haulers serving one and two family homes must provide biannual bulky collection under § 607.181.
St. Louis County Bulky Waste Disposal Rules
Some RestrictionsSt. Louis County Code § 607.040 (Bulky Waste definition); § 607.120
Bulky Waste means a form of municipal waste, that is non-putrescible solid waste ... which are either too large or too heavy to be safely and conveniently loaded in waste transportation vehicles by waste haulers with the equipment available therefor. "Bulky residential waste" is bulky waste generated on residential premises other than automobiles and construction and demolition materials. ... R...
Recycling Requirements
Before St. Louis County will license a hauler under Section 607.170, Section 607.183 requires the company to file a written recovered-materials collection plan with the Director naming its accepted materials, any pre-sorting rules, its container policy and its household fee. The Director approves the plan only if the fee and conditions are reasonable and the material list matches what actually has a recycling market.
Curbside Recycling Plan Rule, St. Louis County
Some RestrictionsSt. Louis County Code § 607.183
607.183 - Plan for Recovered Materials Collection Services to be Made Available by Person Providing Hauling Services. 1. As of January 1, 2008, prior to the issuance of any license pursuant to Section 607.170, the applicant shall submit a plan to the Director for the provision of recovered materials collection services to the one and two family dwelling residential customer served or to be serv...
Illegal Dumping
St. Louis County bans depositing waste on any land that lacks a current Director-issued license for a landfill, waste processing facility, transfer station or compost facility (§ 607.310), and bans dumping any waste into a stream, spring or body of surface or ground water (§ 607.810). Citations cost $500 for a first violation in 12 months and $1,000 for a second.
St. Louis County Illegal Dumping Rules
Heavy RestrictionsSt. Louis County Code § 607.310 / § 607.810
No person shall deposit waste on any real estate or permit waste to be deposited on any real estate for which there is no valid and current license, and, if appropriate, renewal license, for the operation of a landfill, waste processing facility, transfer station, compost facility, or yard by-product compost facility issued by the Director, nor shall any person deposit waste on or at any such l...
Yard Waste Collection
St. Louis County Code Section 607.182 has required every hauler licensed to collect residential municipal waste in the county to also make curbside yard by-product collection available since January 1, 2008. That covers leaves, grass clippings, garden vegetation and tree limbs six inches or less across, plus Christmas trees, and a hauler that skips the service risks a citation from the Department of Public Health.
Yard Waste Collection Mandate, St. Louis County
Some RestrictionsSt. Louis County Code § 607.182
607.182 - Provision for Collection of Yard By-Products. As of January 1, 2008, each person providing collection services for municipal waste shall make available collection services for yard by-products.
Collection Schedule
St. Louis County requires waste haulers to collect residential municipal waste and recyclables from every serviced property at least once a week, year-round.
Weekly Trash Pickup Requirement
Some RestrictionsSLCRO § 607.145
Waste collection service shall provide for the collection of all solid municipal waste (other than demolition and construction waste and bulky residential waste) from the premises not less often than once per week. ... a. Municipal Waste: Not less often than once per week b. Residential Recovered Materials: Not less often than once per week
Recycling Rules
Trash haulers licensed to serve one- and two-family homes in unincorporated St. Louis County must file a recovered materials (recycling) plan with the Director of Public Health before getting a license, and must provide weekly recycling pickup alongside weekly trash collection.
Recycling Plan Requirements in St. Louis County
Some RestrictionsSt. Louis County Code of Ordinances § 607.183
recovered materials collection services to [...] -1. As of January 1, 2008, prior to the issuance of any license pursuant to Section 607.170, the applicant shall submit a plan to the Director for the provision of recovered materials collection services to the one and two family dwelling residential customer served or to be served by the applicant. 2. The plan shall contain: a. a description of ...
Trash & Recycling by City in St. Louis County
1 cities in St. Louis County have their own trash & recycling rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
All St. Louis County ordinances
See every category we cover for St. Louis County: parking, noise, fences, fires, animals, pools, and more.
St. Louis County Ordinance Hub →