Toledo, OH Trash & Recycling: Bin Placement Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Set-out window
- No earlier than 5 p.m. day before
- Latest set-out
- No later than 7 a.m. collection day
- Cart pickup-in
- By 7:00 p.m. collection day
- Clearance
- 3 ft from objects, 2 ft between carts
- Container sizes
- 48-gallon or 96-gallon, gray/blue
- Enforcement
- Noncompliant carts simply not collected
- Authority
- TMC § 963.23 and City Charter § 104
Summary
Toledo's Solid Waste Division sets exact hours for putting trash and recycling carts out: no earlier than 5 p.m. the night before collection, no later than 7 a.m. on collection day, and carts must come back in by 7 p.m. that evening under Appendix D, Section 206.
Section 206 - Container Collection Location. Containers must be placed at the point of collection by no later than 7:00 a.m. on collection day or no earlier than 5:00 p.m. the day preceding collection. Containers must be removed from the point of collection by 7:00 p.m. the day of collection. Containers shall be placed on the curb, tree lawn, alley line, traveled roadway with the lid facing out and container wheels towards the house. Containers must be at least three feet from objects such as parked cars, utility poles, trees, mailboxes or fire hydrants, and at least two feet between each container. Containers may not be placed under a low hanging tree or wire.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-105: Complete to June 30, 2026).
Full Breakdown
23 and Section 104 of the City Charter. Section 203 gives each household one gray refuse container and one blue recycling container, in either 48- or 96-gallon size, with ownership of the containers remaining with the City. the day of collection. Containers go on the curb, tree lawn, alley line, or traveled roadway with the lid facing out and the wheels turned toward the house, kept at least three feet from parked cars, utility poles, trees, mailboxes, or fire hydrants, at least two feet apart from each other, and never under a low-hanging tree or wire.
Section 207 requires the lid to stay completely closed and caps the weight at whatever limit is molded into the container itself; loose refuse outside the container, or a container over its weight limit, isn't guaranteed pickup. Section 209 covers bulky-item pickup separately, requiring 48 business hours' advance scheduling and limiting free bulky pickups to once per quarter, with a $50 charge for any additional request in the same quarter.
Violations & Fines
Section 206 warns that failing to follow the placement, timing, or clearance rules 'may result in your refuse and/or recycling not being collected': the Division's main enforcement tool is simply skipping a noncompliant cart rather than issuing a citation. Section 212 separately allows the City to remove a household from the recycling incentive program, or issue a Notice of Liability with a fine under Section 961, for failing to participate in curbside recycling.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Toledo
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