Eugene, OR Trash & Recycling: Collection Schedule (2026)
Key Facts
- Licensed haulers allowed
- Max 8 citywide (EC 3.247)
- License term
- 5 years, renewed annually (EC 3.248)
- Quiet hours for trucks
- No audible noise 10pm-7am (EC 3.270(2))
- Unlicensed collection penalty
- Up to $500 per day (EC 3.995)
- Licensing authority
- City manager under EC 2.019
Summary
Eugene doesn't run its own garbage trucks. EC 3.247 caps the city at eight licensed solid waste collectors, each holding a renewable five-year license under EC 3.248. EC 3.270(2) bars any collection vehicle from creating a noise disturbance audible inside a dwelling between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., setting the practical hours a residential route can run.
3.247(1) The city shall issue no more than eight licenses for the collection of solid waste, yard debris and residential recyclable materials from within the city. ... 3.270(2) No licensee shall operate a vehicle or load or unload a vehicle so as to create a noise disturbance that is plainly audible within any dwelling unit between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. the following day.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 20739, passed June 8, 2026).
Full Breakdown
245(1); operating without one is a code violation regardless of whether the hauler charges a fee. 245(2) exempts a short list of collectors: charitable groups raising funds by recycling, people hauling their own waste to a DEQ-authorized site, property owners moving a tenant's trash (unless the property has more than five units and the owner is paid to do it regularly), demolition or remodeling contractors handling their own job-site waste, commercial-only recyclers, and landscapers hauling yard debris they generated themselves. 247(1) limits the city to eight solid waste collection licenses at a time; the city manager can add more only on a documented showing of need.
248(1), renewed annually, and the city manager can decline to extend a license by giving written notice by April 1. 250). the following day, which in practice keeps residential routes out of the late-night and pre-dawn hours. The Eugene Code is current through Ordinance 20739, passed June 8, 2026.
Violations & Fines
Violating any solid waste licensing rule in EC 3.245 to 3.270 falls under EC 3.995's general chapter 3 penalty: a civil penalty of up to $500, or an administrative civil penalty under EC 3.045, with each day the violation continues counted as a separate offense. The city manager can also decline to renew or can suspend a hauler's license for non-compliance, and unlicensed collection can be referred for civil enforcement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a trash truck run my street before 7 a.m. in Eugene?
How many companies are licensed to collect trash in Eugene?
Can I haul my own trash to the dump instead of using a licensed hauler?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Eugene
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