Fort Lauderdale, FL Trash & Recycling: Recycling Requirements (2026)

Section 24-26(3) sets the collection rhythm for household recycling: 'Recyclables shall be collected roadside once weekly or as scheduled by the city,' separate from the twice-weekly solid-waste and once-weekly yard-waste schedules in the same section. That schedule only works because Sec. 24-30(e) requires that 'all recyclable materials shall be placed in recycling containers' rather than mixed into the garbage can, and Sec. 24-27(g) narrows that further: 'Only acceptable recyclables shall be placed in the city provided recycling container,' with acceptable solid waste, yard waste and bulk trash each confined to its own separate container.

The container rules carry real teeth. Section 24-30 separately bars putting cardboard or paper into any container without first breaking it down flat, and bars loose paper anywhere except a regulation container. Section 24-31 makes it unlawful for anyone without the owner's written permission, or without official government authority, to open a recycling container's lid or to remove, collect or disturb the recyclables inside it. Recycling containers are city property issued to an address under Sec. 24-27(a); if a home sits vacant, the resident is supposed to notify the city so the container can be picked up, and a new one is issued on reoccupancy. Every one of these requirements is enforced the same way as the rest of Chapter 24: a violation is punished under Sec. 24-2 and Sec. 1-6 of the Code, with each day of noncompliance treated as a separate offense.