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

Springdale's cart-placement rules track the operational realities of CARDS Holdings' automated side-loading collection fleet. The mechanical arm needs roughly a three-foot operating envelope around each 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 with no City or CARDS make-up. Low-hanging power lines and overhanging branches are particularly common in older Springdale neighborhoods (downtown, Sunset, near Emma Avenue and the historic core) where mature tree canopies require homeowner-side 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 where they obstruct traffic, and not on the sidewalk where they obstruct pedestrian travel and trigger ADA exposure for the abutting owner. The 6:00 a.m. set-out time is the latest acceptable - CARDS confirms a 6 a.m. set-out (notably earlier than most North Arkansas haulers' 7 a.m. window). Carts placed too early - the night before - are a minor nuisance concern under Chapter 42 but the City has not codified a hard early-set-out limit. 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 Code Enforcement warning trigger.