Providence, RI Trash & Recycling: Pickup Rules & Schedules (2026)
Key Facts
- Earliest set-out time
- 4 p.m. day before collection
- Collection days
- Monday through Friday
- Collection hours
- 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Max cumulative fine
- $1,500 per dwelling per year
- Enforcing agency
- Department of Public Works
Summary
Providence sets exact windows for curbside trash: no early set-out before 4 p.m. the day before collection, and Department of Public Works pickups run Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The owner of any dwelling shall be deemed to have allowed an unsanitary condition and a nuisance to exist whenever garbage, trash or debris at that dwelling is placed out early for municipal collection. "Early" shall mean prior to 4:00 p.m. on the day preceding the date of garbage collection...Regular weekly removals and pickups...shall be carried out only on the days of Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of each week...Collection...shall begin no earlier than 7:00 a.m. and shall be completed by 5:00 p.m. of the designated pickup day.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 7).
Full Breakdown
City Code § 12-63 bars putting garbage, trash, or debris at the curb before 4 p.m. on the day preceding your scheduled collection day, and requires empty containers off the public way by midnight of collection day. Storage containers must also be screened from street view. Section 12-64 sets the collection window itself: Department of Public Works or contracted pickups run Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., with holiday schedules shifting one day. Violations are treated as an unsanitary nuisance; enforcement starts with a warning, and repeat offenders face escalating fines up to $1,500 per property per year.
Violations & Fines
First violation draws a warning; subsequent violations run $25, $50, then $100 each, capped at $1,500 per property yearly; four or more makes you a chronic violator facing municipal court.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Providence
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Pickup Rules & Schedules in Nearby Cities
How other cities in this county handle pickup rules & schedules.