Fort Smith, AR Trash & Recycling: Bin Placement Rules (2026)

Fort Smith placement rules track the operational realities of automated and semi-automated refuse collection. The Department of Solid Waste Services runs side-loading and rear-loading trucks with mechanical arms; the arm needs roughly a three-foot operating envelope on all sides of the cart to extend, clamp, lift the cart over the hopper, dump, and lower it back. Carts wedged against parked vehicles, mailbox posts, fire hydrants, utility poles, or low-hanging tree branches cannot be lifted and are passed by - the resident absorbs the missed pickup. Low-hanging power lines and overhanging branches are particularly important in Fort Smith's older neighborhoods (Belle Grove, Old Fort, Park Hill) where mature tree canopies routinely require homeowner-side branch trimming to keep the curb lane clear. Carts go at the curb (the edge of the asphalt or the cement-curb line), not in the cartway itself and not on the sidewalk where they obstruct pedestrian travel. The 7:00 a.m. set-out time is the latest acceptable - the City requires the cart out by that time because trucks begin routes at 7. Carts placed too early in the evening or overnight are subject to the broader nuisance and storm-water concerns the City addresses through Chapter 16 Nuisances enforcement, though the City has not codified a hard early-set-out window like some Northeast cities (Erie's 24-hour window or NYC's after-4 p.m. rule). Lids must remain fully closed and items may not be placed on top - the dump cycle will spill loose material onto the curb and create a separate scattering-rubbish liability under A.C.A. §8-6-406. After collection, residents should retrieve the empty cart promptly; carts left at the curb beyond the pickup day are a Neighborhood Services warning trigger.