Bessemer, AL Trash & Recycling: Bin Placement Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Lids
- Must stay tightly fitted except when in use
- Earliest set-out
- 5:00 p.m. the day before collection
- Removal window
- Off the street between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.
- Can limit, residential
- Four cans per unit, ten if 3+ units
- Can limit, business
- Four cans per commercial or industrial premises
Summary
Bessemer garbage cans and rubbish containers must keep lids tightly fitted except when in use, under Code of Ordinances section 90-63. Cans cannot go out for collection before 5:00 p.m. the evening before pickup and must come off the street between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. under section 90-65.
The lids or covers of garbage cans or special garbage and rubbish containers shall be kept tightly fitted thereon at all times other than when garbage or rubbish is being deposited in such container. All garbage cans or special garbage and rubbish containers shall be so kept and maintained as to prevent the access of flies therein and the soiling of the ground, floor or structure upon which they stand. ... (a)No person in charge or control of any dwelling, hotel, restaurant, delicatessen or store where garbage, rubbish or any other materials are placed in a garbage can, rubbish can or special garbage or rubbish container shall permit any such cans or containers to be placed out for collection on the streets or sidewalks before 5:00 p.m. on the day before regular city garbage or trash collection service is to be rendered.(b)Cans or containers shall be removed from the sidewalks, between the hours from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Republication).
Full Breakdown
Section 90-63 requires the lids or covers of every garbage can or special garbage and rubbish container to stay tightly fitted at all times except while garbage or rubbish is actually being deposited inside, and requires the cans to be kept and maintained so they do not let flies in or soil the ground, floor, or structure they sit on. m. Section 90-64 bars putting nonburnable material like ashes, cinders, gravel, rock, sand, earth, or minerals into a garbage can. Section 90-66 separately bans dumping cans, cartons, or other receptacles onto public streets or sidewalks, and section 90-69 caps how many cans a property may keep out at once: up to four garbage or rubbish cans per dwelling unit, up to ten cans total where a property holds more than two dwelling units, and up to four cans for a business, commercial, or industrial premises.
Properties with more than ten dwelling units, or businesses needing more than four cans, must instead get a special container under sections 90-70 and 90-71. 00, up to six months, or both.
Violations & Fines
Leaving a garbage can's lid off except while depositing waste violates section 90-63; setting cans out on the street before 5:00 p.m. the day before pickup, or leaving them out past 5:00 p.m. on collection day, violates section 90-65. Both default to the Code's general penalty in section 1-8: up to $500.00, up to six months imprisonment or hard labor, or both.
Frequently Asked Questions
How early can I put my garbage cans out in Bessemer?
Do I have to keep the lid on my garbage can?
How many garbage cans can a Bessemer household keep out?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bessemer
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Bin Placement Rules in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Jefferson County handle bin placement rules.