Tuscaloosa, AL Property Maintenance: Trash Bin Storage (2026)

Under Chapter 16, Article IV (Solid Waste Collection), Section 16-93 requires every premises in the city garbage system to use only city carts — plastic containers of 80, 90 or 96-gallon capacity loaned by the city (Sec. 16-90, 16-110). The city will not collect from cans, bags or boxes; placing non-conforming receptacles for collection is unlawful and a public nuisance. Garbage must be bagged and placed entirely inside the cart, and it is a violation to set trash, recyclables or waste beside the cart (Sec. 16-94). Carts may not be loaded with concrete, brick, dirt, scrap metal or rock, and never over 200 pounds (Sec. 16-93(c)). Section 16-95 requires carts and recycling bins to be at the curb before 6:00 a.m. on collection day and prohibits leaving them at the curb more than 24 hours. Section 16-105 makes it unlawful to leave containers open or uncovered or to allow garbage, trash or litter to accumulate near them; after two corrective notices a third violation within six weeks can result in an extra billed cart. City pages note carts should sit more than three feet from other carts, cars, mailboxes, fences and hydrants, and not under low utility lines.