Cranston, RI Trash & Recycling: Pickup Rules & Schedules (2026)
Key Facts
- Earliest set-out
- 12:00 noon on the day before your collection day
- Latest set-out
- 6:15 a.m. on collection day
- Residential collection hours
- 6:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday
- Missed the deadline
- Rubbish must be returned inside your property until the next scheduled day
- Who gets city service
- Properties of four or fewer dwelling units
- Carts
- One refuse and one recycling roll-out cart per unit, owned by the city
- Bulky waste
- Anything that will not fit in a cart is the owner’s responsibility
Summary
Cranston lets you put rubbish out no earlier than noon the day before collection and requires it at the curb by 6:15 a.m. on collection day, or you must take it back until the next scheduled day.
It shall be unlawful for any person to place upon a public sidewalk or highway any can, box or receptacle containing rubbish, garbage, trash and weeds, for collection and removal by the department of public works of the city before 12:00 noon on the day preceding the day the city has designated as its day for collection and removal. Every person shall place said rubbish, trash, weeds and garbage at curbside no later than 6:15 a.m. on the day the city has designated for its day of removal. For the purposes of this section, hours of residential rubbish collection are 6:30 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. ... Monday through Friday
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4824304; v14 updated 2026-05-18).
Full Breakdown
120. on collection day itself. , Monday through Friday. When a legal holiday during the week pushes collection to a Saturday, the same hours apply on that Saturday. 120 requires you to return it to its normal storage place inside your property lines and wait for the next scheduled collection, rather than leaving it out. 121: the Department of Public Works collects municipal refuse and recycling for properties of four or fewer dwelling units, and all other properties must arrange their own legal disposal. The city issues one refuse cart and one recycling cart per residential unit, and both remain city property.
Bulky waste, defined as anything that will not fit in a roll-out cart, is the property owner’s responsibility, though the DPW provides a way to coordinate and pay for bulky item and mattress disposal with its contractor.
Violations & Fines
Placing rubbish out before noon the day before collection, or leaving it out after missing the 6:15 a.m. deadline instead of returning it to private property, violates section 8.12.120. Separately, section 8.12.020 bars picking up or removing refuse from any commercial or industrial establishment between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., and violations of that chapter carry a fine of up to 00.00 per offense with each day treated as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
How early can I put my trash out in Cranston?
What happens if I miss the 6:15 a.m. deadline?
Does Cranston collect from apartment buildings?
Who handles bulky items like mattresses?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Cranston
Compare Cranston to another location·View the Rhode Island trash & recycling overview
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Pickup Rules & Schedules in Nearby Cities
How other cities in this county handle pickup rules & schedules.