Putnam County, FL Trash & Recycling: Pickup Rules & Schedules (2026)

Putnam County sets the working hours and container limits for solid waste pickup through the conditions attached to a collection permit. Sec. 34-6(a)(7) requires any permitted collection contractor to begin no earlier than 7:00 a.m. and stop by sunset, unless the county has agreed in writing to a different window for a specific area that will not disturb residential neighbors. Collection cannot occur on Sundays or on New Year's, Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, or Christmas, except during an emergency or to keep a regular schedule running around those holidays.

The county administrator can pre-approve emergency operation outside these hours, but only if the contractor later confirms that approval in writing; without written confirmation, the county treats the contractor as never having received it. Separately, Sec. 34-35 limits the total weight of any collection receptacle, including the waste inside it, to 50 pounds, which keeps individual cans or bags within what county collection crews and equipment can safely lift and load. These rules apply to whoever the county has permitted to collect, whether for residential improved property under the mandatory service district or for commercial and non-residential accounts, and the contractor's name and phone number must be displayed on the collection vehicle itself.

A contractor who collects outside the permitted hours, on a barred holiday without authorization, or who fails to service an overweight receptacle properly risks its collection permit under Sec. 34-6.