Fort Smith, AR Trash & Recycling: Recycling Requirements (2026)

Fort Smith's recycling program is voluntary - there is no Arkansas state-law mandate that municipalities run a mandatory curbside recycling program (in contrast to Pennsylvania's Act 101 which forces every municipality over 10,000 to operate one). The Arkansas Solid Waste Management Act (A.C.A. §8-9-401 et seq.) authorizes municipalities to operate solid-waste programs including recycling but leaves the design to local discretion. Fort Smith offers each residential customer (single-family through four-plex) a city-issued recycling cart at no monthly cost; the cart is provided by the Department of Solid Waste Services and may be requested through the City website. Replacement carts and additional carts are priced at $70 for a 65-gallon cart and $90 for a 95-gallon cart. Critical operational rule: recyclables must be placed LOOSE in the cart - the City explicitly instructs residents not to bag recyclables. Plastic bags ('film plastic') jam the sorting machinery at the regional materials recovery facility (MRF) and contaminate loads to the point of rejection. Accepted curbside materials typically include: corrugated cardboard (flattened), paperboard (cereal boxes), newspapers and magazines, office paper, #1 PET and #2 HDPE plastic containers (rinsed; caps loose or off), aluminum cans, and steel/tin food cans. Glass is generally not accepted curbside in Fort Smith's commingled program (varies year-to-year based on MRF contract). Contaminants that draw rejected loads include food residue, polystyrene foam (Styrofoam), plastic bags, plastic film, used pizza boxes, and food-contaminated cardboard. Pickup is on the same weekly route as regular trash (every other week in some cities; check fortsmithar.gov for current schedule).