Fort Smith provides one city-owned trash cart at no cost to every single-family residence through four-plex under the Department of Solid Waste Services (Code of Ordinances Chapter 25, Article VII). Carts must be placed at the curb by 7:00 a.m. on the resident's designated collection day with at least three feet of clearance on all sides so the mechanical truck arm can lift them; the cart cannot be obstructed by vehicles, objects, overhanging tree limbs, or power lines. Carts may not be overfilled and items cannot be placed on top of the lid.
The cart program is operated by the Fort Smith Department of Solid Waste Services under Chapter 25, Article VII of the Code of Ordinances (Solid Waste). Each Fort Smith single-family home, duplex, triplex, or fourplex is provided one city-owned trash cart at no cost; replacement and additional carts are billed to the resident (the City lists $70 for a 65-gallon recycling cart and $90 for a 95-gallon recycling cart as comparable replacement pricing). Because the City uses automated side-loading and rear-loading trucks with mechanical arms, the three-foot clearance rule is operationally critical: carts that are blocked by parked vehicles, mailboxes, low overhanging tree branches, or low-hanging power lines are passed by and counted as a missed pickup attributable to the resident, not the City. Carts must be placed at the curb by 7:00 a.m. on collection day - Solid Waste does not run a fixed-time route but issues a window starting at 7 a.m. that may extend through late afternoon depending on truck loads and weather. Lids must be fully closed; overfilled carts and items stacked on top of the lid are not collected because debris spills onto the curb during the lift cycle and creates a separate scattering-rubbish liability. Tires, paint, motor oil, and hazardous materials cannot go in the cart - tires must be taken to the Westark Collection Center at 601 Oak Grove Road in Van Buren. Walk-out service is offered free of charge to elderly or disabled residents who cannot move the cart themselves; call 479-784-2350 to enroll. Service questions: Sanitation 479-784-2350 / Admin 479-784-1070 / sanitation@fortsmithar.gov.
Overfilling, placing items on top of the lid, blocking the cart with vehicles or overhanging obstructions, and tire/hazardous-waste contamination result in a missed pickup with no City liability. Persistent non-compliance with cart-presentation rules under Chapter 25, Article VII is a Code violation enforced by Neighborhood Services and may be charged as a misdemeanor under Fort Smith Code Chapter 1 general penalty (typically a fine not exceeding $500 per offense, with each day a separate offense). Lost, stolen, or damaged carts attributable to the resident are billed for replacement (comparable City schedule shows $70 for a 65-gallon cart and $90 for a 95-gallon cart for recycling). State-law backstops include A.C.A. Β§8-6-406 (littering) and A.C.A. Β§8-9-401 et seq. (Arkansas Solid Waste Management Act).
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