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West Palm Beach, FL Trash & Recycling: Collection Schedule (2026)

Some Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Subscription
mandatory for improved residential property
Garbage/refuse pickup
twice a week
Yard waste & recycling
at least once a week
Bulk/white goods
once a week
Garbage violation correction window
24 hours

Summary

Every owner or occupant of improved residential property in West Palm Beach must subscribe to city trash service under City Code § 74-31(a). Garbage and refuse go out twice a week, yard waste and recyclables at least once a week, and bulk items once a week, all on schedules the city sets under § 74-33.

(a)Every owner or occupant of improved residential property within the city shall subscribe for regular residential solid waste collection and disposal services from the city. ... (1)Residential garbage and refuse shall be collected twice each week, according to schedules established by the city.

View official code

Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 76).

Full Breakdown

' Subsection (d) backs that up by making it unlawful to use city collection without subscribing or requesting a special pickup first. Section 74-33(a) then breaks the schedule out by waste stream: garbage and refuse are collected twice each week under (a)(1), yard and garden waste at least once a week under (a)(2), bulk items and white goods once a week under (a)(3), and recyclable materials at least once a week under (a)(4). Ownership of everything set out for collection transfers to the city the moment it's picked up, per § 74-32.

Commercial accounts run on a different track under § 74-31(b): every business must maintain an active sanitation commercial account, or show that its landlord has one, before the city will issue or renew its certificate of use, and restaurants get three collections a week minimum under § 74-33(b)(1). No more than three extra special pickups a month qualify for the standard additional-pickup rate; a fourth request in the same month bills at the next-higher frequency tier.

Violations & Fines

Using the city's collection system without an active subscription violates § 74-31(d) and is enforceable the same as any other Chapter 74 violation: a code enforcement officer cites under § 74-81, and an uncorrected garbage or solid-waste violation must be fixed within 24 hours under § 74-84(1), the shortest correction window in the chapter, since unpicked garbage is treated as a health hazard. Unpaid service fees become a lien under § 74-38.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I opt out of West Palm Beach's trash service and haul my own garbage?
No. Section 74-31(a) requires every owner or occupant of improved residential property to subscribe to the city's collection and disposal service, and § 74-31(d) separately makes it unlawful to use the system without subscribing. There's no self-haul opt-out for residential garbage.
How many times a week does West Palm Beach pick up garbage?
Section 74-33(a)(1) sets residential garbage and refuse collection at twice each week, on a schedule the city establishes. Yard waste, bulk items, and recyclables each get at least one collection a week under the rest of § 74-33(a).
What happens if trash service goes unpaid?
Unpaid solid waste fees can be assessed against the property and become a special assessment lien under § 74-38(a), ranking with ad valorem tax liens, and the city can also terminate service, including tying it to water service, after the bill is 30 days past due under § 74-37.

Sources & Official References

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All West Palm Beach rules

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