Highlands County, FL Trash & Recycling: Collection Schedule (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing sections
- Highlands County Code §§ 8.5-21, 8.5-22, 8.5-24
- Minimum pickup frequency
- Twice weekly, at least 3 days apart
- Collection hours
- 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
- No collection
- Sundays and county landfill holidays
- Container limit
- 35-gallon capacity, 50 lbs when full
- Service is
- Mandatory via franchised hauler, exemptions under § 8.5-30
Summary
Every residential property in unincorporated Highlands County must subscribe to its area's franchised trash hauler under Section 8.5-22, absent a county-granted exemption. Section 8.5-24(a) sets the actual schedule: garbage pickup at least twice a week, three days apart, between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m., with no collection on Sundays or landfill-closure holidays.
(a)All residential property within the unincorporated area of the county shall be required to utilize the residential collection service provided by the franchisee for the service area in which the property is located, unless granted an exemption pursuant to section 8.5-30. ... The franchisee shall pick up and deliver to the county landfill, in accordance with section 8.5-21, the municipal solid waste, other than horticultural trash and extraordinary waste, placed at curbside in garbage containers provided by the customer not less than two times per week, with collections at least three days apart. ... Collection shall begin no earlier than 7:00 a.m. and cease at 9:00 p.m., with the exception of those areas where the county and the franchisee have designated earlier or later collection times. ... No collection shall occur on Sundays, except on those approved by the county administrator or to maintain a regular schedule due to holidays.
Full Breakdown
5-21 requires that all municipal solid waste, other than horticultural trash not mixed with garbage, be disposed of exclusively at the county landfill unless the county administrator approves delivery to a licensed recycling center in writing. 5-30. 5-24(a)(5)a spells out the schedule itself: the franchisee must pick up municipal solid waste, other than horticultural trash and extraordinary waste, from curbside garbage containers not less than two times per week, with collections at least three days apart, and must pick up bundled horticultural trash, capped at 100 pounds and six feet per bundle, at least twice a month on a county-approved schedule.
, except in areas where the county and franchisee have agreed to different hours. No collection occurs on Sundays, except when the county administrator approves an exception or a regular schedule needs to be maintained around a holiday, and none occurs on days the county landfill is closed for a holiday; when a regular pickup day falls on such a holiday, service shifts to the next scheduled collection day, and the franchisee must give customers at least ten days' notice of that shift, either directly or by newspaper publication. on their collection day.
Violations & Fines
Chapter 8.5 enforces the schedule primarily through the franchise contract rather than a fine on residents. Section 8.5-24(a)(3) makes a franchisee's excess valid service complaints in a single month, defined as more than 0.10 percent of the nonexempt residential dwelling units in its service area, a separate Class IV violation enforceable under Division 4 of Chapter 2 of the Code for each complaint over that threshold, giving the county a direct penalty path against a hauler that misses pickups or runs a schedule late.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to use the county's trash hauler in unincorporated Highlands County?
What time can the garbage truck come to my house?
How many times a week is trash picked up?
What happens to my pickup day when it falls on a holiday?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Highlands County
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Highlands County to another location·View the Florida trash & recycling overview
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