Muncie, IN Trash & Recycling: Pickup Rules & Schedules (2026)

Section 52.35 prohibits hauling litter, objects, or material of any kind, liquid or solid, in a vehicle on a city street or alley unless the vehicle is covered to prevent any part of the load from spilling, an exception applying only when the material sits in closed boxes or containers (52.35(A)); it also bars letting litter fall, sift, spill, scatter, or blow onto a public way or private premises from a vehicle, and requires the hauler to remove any litter that does spill (52.35(B), (C)).

Section 52.36 requires anyone who contracts on a regular basis to collect litter or garbage for customers, other than the city sanitation department, to hold a permit issued by the head of the department of finance on approval of the board of public works and safety; the fee is $15.00 per year, renewable every January 2, and the board can deny, revoke, or suspend a permit for noncompliance with the chapter (52.36(A)). The board may also require a permit applicant to post a bond guaranteeing compliance and indemnifying the city against loss from noncompliance (section 52.37), and every permit holder must maintain any litter receptacles it owns or controls to the same standard the property owner would, under chapter regulations (section 52.38).

All of these sections carry the same penalty structure at section 52.99: a fine of up to $2,500.00 per offense, with each day of a continuing violation counted as a separate offense, or a reduced $25.00 fine plus court costs if the violator admits the offense to the city clerk within five days.