Tampa, FL Trash & Recycling: Collection Schedule (2026)

Tampa treats solid waste removal as compulsory, not optional. Under § 26-153(a), 'solid waste produced in the city shall be mandatorily collected by the city or by its franchisees, licensees or permittees,' and the Department can require any property owner who claims not to generate waste to prove it disposes elsewhere. Section 26-154 backs this up: the mere fact that a building is occupied, as a home or a business, is 'prima facie evidence that solid waste is being produced' and that collection charges are owed, regardless of whether a resident has ever set out a cart.

In return for the mandatory fee, § 26-156(a) guarantees 'right to service': once a customer pays the required deposit, the Department must collect and dispose of waste on the schedule and terms in Chapter 26. Residents sixty-five or older living in a household of no more than two people can apply for a discounted rate limited to one thirty-two-gallon container per collection under § 26-156(b); exceeding that limit after enrolling is itself a code violation. Anyone who thinks their bill is wrong can request a resurvey of the premises and, if still disputed, a formal administrative hearing before a Hearing Officer under § 26-155(b), but losing that hearing adds a $150 hearing-cost charge to the next three billing cycles. Customers can also get billing credits for extended vacancies of more than sixty days under § 26-34(b), though partial-vacancy credits are not available.