Bradenton, FL Trash & Recycling: Pickup Rules & Schedules (2026)

Sections 58-33 and 58-34 of the Bradenton Code of Ordinances protect the city's own collection system from private competition and from scavenging.

Section 58-33 has two sentences. The first says no garbage, rubbish or trash, not including yard trash, shall be disposed of by any person not authorized by the city. The parenthetical carve-out matters: yard trash is outside the private-disposal ban, so residents are free to handle their own clippings, while household garbage and commercial rubbish and trash are reserved to the city or its authorized agents. The second sentence says no person shall collect or convey over the streets of the city any garbage without the permission of the city council. A hauler picking up garbage in the City of Bradenton therefore needs council permission, not just a customer.

Section 58-34 covers unauthorized removal after set-out. No person shall remove any garbage or other refuse that has been deposited or placed for collection by the city sanitary department, other than the owner of that refuse or a person the owner authorizes, or the city. Going through or taking bagged garbage from the curb or alley is therefore prohibited unless the owner has authorized it.

The rest of the collection rules sit alongside these two sections. Section 58-31 makes the city responsible for collecting garbage at least twice each week, and section 58-3 lets the director of public works regulate collection days and container location. Section 58-38 requires residents to have containers ready for removal at the times the city designates. Section 58-32 separately requires the occupant to remove industrial wastes, rubble and junk at least once each week, unless it is enclosed and kept from sight of the public or is incidental to a building operation.