Dothan, AL Trash & Recycling: Pickup Rules & Schedules (2026)

Sec. 82-54, part of the automated collection program in Article IV, sets the operating conditions for pickup day. Only carts the city has provided or approved will be serviced, so a resident's own trash can or an unauthorized bin will be passed over. Refuse simply placed beside the cart rather than inside it is not collected, with one narrow exception: the first scheduled collection day after Christmas, when overflow is expected. The section then lists seven specific reasons a cart will be skipped on its regular day: not being out at the time of collection, improper location, not facing the street properly, being overloaded, holding unacceptable contents, having contents lodged or frozen inside, or any other reason the public works director determines.

When a cart is skipped, Sec. 82-54(d) requires the department to notify the resident of the specific reason, leaving a notice at the residence identifying which requirement was not met. Sec. 82-54(e) then places responsibility on the resident (the 'producer') to remove and properly dispose of any refuse the city declined to collect, rather than leaving it at the curb indefinitely.