Cape Coral, FL Trash & Recycling: Pickup Rules & Schedules (2026)
Key Facts
- Collection frequency
- Once per week, curbside
- Set-out deadline
- Before 5:00 a.m. on pickup day
- Max receptacle weight
- 50 pounds
- Truck start time (winter)
- 6:00 a.m.
- Truck start time (May-Sept)
- 5:00 a.m.
- No-pickup holidays
- 6 named federal/city holidays
Summary
Cape Coral's franchise hauler collects garbage, trash, horticultural waste and recyclables once per week at curbside under City Code § 9-67. Everything must be out before 5:00 a.m. on collection day, and pickup is suspended on six named holidays plus any day the county landfill announces a closure.
(1)Garbage and trash will be collected once per week at curbside or edge of street. Horticultural waste will be collected once per week at curbside or edge of street. Receptacles, as needed, must be within three feet of curbside or edge of street. Maximum total weight per full receptacle shall not exceed 50 pounds. All receptacles shall be located at a minimum of five feet from any obstruction that may interfere with routine collection. ... (7)All refuse must be placed for pick-up prior to 5:00 a.m. on any day scheduled for pick-up. Horticultural waste may be placed at curbside or edge of street up to four days prior to any scheduled day for pickup. Refuse shall not be placed for pick up on Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day or New Year's Day, or any other day when the franchise hauler advertises in a newspaper of general circulation that the Lee County Disposal Facility will be closed and refuse will not be accepted from the franchise hauler.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 38).
Full Breakdown
City Code § 9-66 makes refuse collection mandatory for every single-family dwelling, multi-family dwelling and commercial establishment in Cape Coral, serviced exclusively by the city's authorized franchise hauler under rates set annually by City Council resolution (§ 9-72). Under § 9-67(b), garbage, trash and horticultural waste are each collected once per week at curbside or the edge of the street; receptacles must sit within three feet of the curb and at least five feet from anything that could interfere with routine collection, and a full receptacle cannot weigh more than 50 pounds.
Loose refuse is barred: § 9-67(b)(4) requires garbage, paper, boxes, glass and yard sweepings to go in approved receptacles or be tightly bundled. on the scheduled day, and horticultural waste may go out up to four days ahead of that date. The hauler skips Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day, plus any day it publicly announces the Lee County Disposal Facility is closed. m. m. Wet garbage must be wrapped or bundled to prevent leakage, and receptacles must stay covered except while being filled or emptied.
Violations & Fines
Section 9-75 makes any failure to comply with the refuse article a violation subject to the city's code enforcement procedures under §§ 2-81 through 2-105 of the Cape Coral Code, with each violation and each day it continues charged as a separate offense. Non-franchise collection of residential or commercial refuse is independently barred by § 9-73(b).
Frequently Asked Questions
What time does trash need to be out in Cape Coral?
Does Cape Coral collect trash on holidays?
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Cape Coral
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Cape Coral to another location·View the Florida trash & recycling overview
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Pickup Rules & Schedules in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Lee County handle pickup rules & schedules.