Miami-Dade County, FL Trash & Recycling: Pickup Rules & Schedules (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Miami-Dade County Code § 15-2
- Container requirement
- Sufficient cans, bags or portable containers required
- Recycling contamination
- Blitz Program tags carts after 3 violations
- Uncontainerized waste
- Banned at curbside except as chapter allows
- Mattress rule
- Must be fully bagged and taped for pickup
- Penalty authority
- Chapter 8CC, Section 8CC-10
Summary
Section 15-2 governs how Miami-Dade residents and businesses present waste for county pickup: every unit must keep enough garbage cans, bags or portable containers for collection, recycling carts may only hold approved recyclable material, damaged or non-county carts cannot be set out, uncontainerized waste at the curb is banned outright, and mattresses must be fully bagged and taped before collection.
(b)Each residential unit, multi-family residential establishment or commercial establishment located in any area where Miami-Dade County solid waste collection and disposal service is provided shall have a sufficient number of garbage cans, plastic garbage bags or portable containers to accommodate all garbage, bundled yard trash or other trash to be removed by Miami-Dade County or other approved contractors.(f)It shall be unlawful for any person to place or cause, let, allow, permit, or suffer the placement of any uncontainerized waste at curbside, right-of-way, or street edge at any time except as otherwise provided in this chapter.(g)It shall be unlawful for any person to place or cause, let, allow, permit, or suffer the placement of any mattress at curbside without first bagging the mattress in a plastic mattress bag or plastic mattress sleeve capable of fully encasing all sides of the entire mattress. The bag shall be taped closed with packing, shipping or duct tape, or other similar weather resistant adhesive tape. Each mattress in violation shall be considered a separate violation, punishable as set forth in Chapter 8CC of the Code.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 135).
Full Breakdown
Section 15-2 sits in Chapter 15's solid waste management code and applies wherever Miami-Dade County or its contractors provide collection service. Subsection (a) requires every commercial and multi-family establishment to use either the proper governmental agency's collection service or a hauler licensed by the Director. Subsection (b) requires every residential unit, multi-family establishment and commercial establishment in a serviced area to keep "a sufficient number of garbage cans, plastic garbage bags or portable containers" for all garbage, bundled yard trash and other trash. shall not be placed in recycling carts," the Department can inspect carts for contamination, and a contaminated cart is tagged through the "Blitz Program" and goes unserviced until the contaminants are removed; after a first-year educational period, a cart tagged more than three times draws special collection and clean-up fees under Section 15-14.
Subsection (d) makes carts stay with the property, only the Department may remove them, and treats vandalism or misuse as a violation punishable under Section 8CC-10. Subsection (e) bars setting out any cart the Department did not issue or one with defects that could injure a collector; the Department will not service such carts and may remove them at the owner's expense. " Subsection (g) requires any mattress set at curbside to be fully encased in a taped plastic mattress bag or sleeve; each unbagged mattress is a separate violation under Chapter 8CC, though the first year after the rule's 2016 enactment was treated as a warning-only education period.
Violations & Fines
Improper cart use or vandalism is punishable under Section 8CC-10 of the Code. Setting out uncontainerized waste, or a mattress that is not bagged and taped, is a separate Chapter 8CC civil violation per incident once the educational grace period has passed. Repeatedly contaminating a recycling cart, more than three tags after the first year, triggers special collection and clean-up charges billed under Section 15-14, in addition to any Chapter 8CC citation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I just leave loose trash bags at the curb without a can?
What happens if I keep putting non-recyclables in my recycling cart?
Do I need to bag a mattress before putting it out for pickup?
Can I use my own trash can instead of the county-issued cart?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Miami-Dade County
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Miami-Dade County to another location·View the Florida trash & recycling overview
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