Memphis, TN Trash & Recycling: Dumpster Rules (2026)

1 defines a regulated 'dumpster' as a watertight container of impervious material with a cover, used for storing garbage, refuse or recyclables: excluding containers of 90 gallons or less, open-top roll-off construction boxes, and stationary compactors. Inside the downtown district, every private refuse collector handling dumpster service needs a location permit before placing a container, and the solid waste director (or a designee) must review each proposed site to decide whether visual screening or a specific site designation is required; a temporary permit can bridge the gap until screening construction is finished or for up to six months.

Dumpsters generally may not sit in the public right-of-way unless the applicant proves the property's layout makes private-property placement impracticable and no alternative, such as a shared compactor or hand collection, is workable; any right-of-way dumpster allowed under that exception needs a specific site designation approved by the design review board before its location permit issues. 00 per month per dumpster, due in advance on the first of each calendar month, to fund use of the space and enforcement of the downtown dumpster rules. Dumpsters kept on private property but visible from public view still need screening or an enclosure approved by the design review board, at the property owner's expense.

Every dumpster in the district must carry the collector's name, phone number and location permit number stenciled on it, stay padlocked at all times except during collection, be maintained free of jagged edges, and be emptied often enough to prevent overflow; bulk items like furniture and major appliances are not to be dumped inside them. The city or the Downtown Memphis Commission may remove a noncompliant dumpster at the owner's expense after a seven-day notice-and-cure period, or immediately if it lacks a valid permit and site designation.