Cleveland, OH Trash & Recycling: Bulk Item Disposal (2026)
Key Facts
- Bulk items per set-out
- 3 max, § 551.111(a)-(b)
- Tires per set-out
- 4 max
- Manual-zone container cap
- 5 approved waste containers
- Base fine for overage
- $100, § 551.991(f)
- Heavy-overage fine
- $350 above 6 items/8 tires
- Applies regardless of reason
- Evictions, cleanouts, staging, § 551.111(c)
Summary
Large bulk items like refrigerators, furniture, mattresses and couches are 'special waste' under Codified Ordinances § 551.05 and aren't collected in regular containers. Section 551.111 caps a household to 3 such bulk items per set-out (plus up to 4 tires), enforced as a $100-to-$350 civil infraction depending on how far over the cap the set-out goes.
(a) No person shall set out for collection on a parcel's tree lawn or other designated place for collection, in a manual collection zone, a quantity of solid waste, exceeding five (5) approved waste containers, twenty (20) bags of yard waste, twenty (20) bundles of brush or tree trunks, four (4) tires, or three (3) special waste items as described in division (b) of Section 551.05. (b) No person shall set out for collection on a parcel's tree lawn or other designated place for collection, in an automated collection zone, a quantity of solid waste exceeding twenty (20) bags of yard waste, twenty (20) bundles of brush or tree trunks, four (4) tires, or three (3) special waste items as described in division (b) of Section 551.05.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-28: Current through legislation passed September 1, 2026).
Full Breakdown
05(b) defines 'special waste' to include large bulk items such as refrigerators, furniture, mattresses, couches, shelving, fencing, house doors, storm windows, televisions and bicycles, items too big for a regular waste container and excluded from the 100-pound bundling rule that applies to brush and yard debris. 111 then caps how much of this bulk material a household can set out at one time. 05(b). In an automated collection zone, division (b) applies the same tire and special-waste-item caps, four tires, three special waste items, without the five-container limit, since automated zones use City-issued carts instead.
These caps apply no matter why the waste was set out: division (c) makes clear they apply whether the resident is doing an eviction cleanout, a garage cleanout, using a private hauler, or just staging items for later pickup. 991(f): the base penalty is $100, rising to $350 if the set-out exceeds 10 containers, 40 bags of yard waste, 40 bundles of brush, eight tires, or six special waste items. Tickets are mailed to the parcel owner and must be appealed or paid within 20 days.
Violations & Fines
Setting out more than three bulk special-waste items (or four tires) in one collection, per § 551.111(a)-(b), is a $100 civil infraction under § 551.991(f), climbing to $350 once the overage passes six special-waste items, eight tires, 40 bags of yard waste, or 40 brush bundles. The rule applies regardless of the reason for the set-out, including eviction or move-out cleanouts.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many bulk items can I put out for Cleveland pickup?
What's the fine for putting out too much bulk waste in Cleveland?
Does the bulk-item limit apply if I'm cleaning out after an eviction?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Cleveland
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