Decatur, GA Trash & Recycling: Pickup Rules & Schedules (2026)

Household/Garbage Household waste, also known as domestic waste or residential waste, is disposable materials generated by households. Collected once a week (collection day can be found on the Solid Waste Services page in the SWS Operations Tool . SWS provides residential properties with a 96-gallon roll cart for solid waste collection. Place in green cart(s) curbside no later than 7 a.m. on collection day. (Code of Ordinances: Sec 130-37 (6b) Remove cart(s) by 9 a.m. the day after collection day. Residents should use City-issued carts and are responsible for keeping their carts clean and odor free. If your roll cart is not serviced by 8p.m. on your regularly scheduled collection day, contact 3-1-1 to report the missed collection. Carts not set out in time for collection will not be collected until the following week. Curbside Collection Tips Household Hazardous Waste Disposal Recycling Recyclables will be collected at the curb in containers provided by the City or other containers which are clearly marked recyclables and have a lid to secure the contents. For more information, visit the Recycling page. Collected once a week on the same day as garbage collection (collection day can be found on the SWS Operations Tool Place in blue cart curbside no later than 7 a.m. collection day Remove by 9 a.m. the day after collection day Yard Trimmings Leaves, brush, grass clippings, shrub and tree plantings, including tree roots, branches not exceeding 4 feet in length and 4 inches in diameter, discarded Christmas trees and nursery and greenhouse vegetative residuals. Place yard trimmings in paper bags manufactured for yard trimmings disposal or a container labeled " Yard Trimmings." Yard trimmings will not be accepted in plastic bags. SWS may collect up to 20 yard trimmings paper bags per collection. When full, yard trimming bags are not to exceed 35 pounds in weight. Over 20 bags of yard trimmings constitute bulk rubbish and require a scheduled collection using the SWS Operations Tool or via ATL311 . Reusable containers or receptacles used for the disposal of yard trimmings may not exceed a volume of 32 gallons and must be visibly marked with YARD TRIMMINGS on all four sides. (Code of Ordinances: 130-36)