New Orleans, LA Trash & Recycling: Collection Schedule (2026)

Section 138-57 makes solid-waste collection a mandatory, billed utility service rather than an opt-in program. 00. The charge rides on the Sewerage and Water Board bill and is owed by the account holder, with the Board collecting on the city's behalf under a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement; funds the Board collects for sanitation can't be diverted to water, sewer or drainage operations. If a delinquent account isn't paid when the water/sewer bill comes due, the Board, acting at the city's direction under La. S. 1, can terminate water service to the property, after mailed notice to the address.

The city, not the Board, is responsible for actually enforcing collection, including contracting a private attorney, law firm or collection agency to pursue unpaid charges. Locations that receive no water/sewer service at all but are billed sanitation anyway can file a sworn refund application with the Department of Finance. A late payment draws a 15 percent penalty on the outstanding balance. The actual collection days and cart set-out windows tied to this mandatory charge are set separately in § 138-42.