Jonesboro, AR Trash & Recycling: Recycling Requirements (2026)
Key Facts
- Curbside recycling
- Provided to all serviced dwellings
- Container
- City-owned blue recycling bag
- Set-out time
- No earlier than 6:00 p.m. prior day
- Placement
- Within 5 feet of street edge
- Transfer station drop-off
- Free if sorted, uncontaminated
- Interference penalty
- Misdemeanor, up to $250.00
Summary
Jonesboro provides curbside recycling to every dwelling collecting solid waste, using city-owned blue recycling bags set out by 6 p.m. the night before pickup. Interfering with a recycling container, or dumping non-recyclables into a recycling bag, is a violation.
Sec. 54-33(e): Curbside recycling service will be provided to all dwelling units that are provided solid waste collection service by the city.
Sec. 54-34. - Scavenging and salvaging. (b)It shall be a violation of these rules and regulations for any person not designated by the sanitation department to remove or interfere with a recycling container or its contents.
Sec. 54-32(k): Recycling bags should not be placed out for collection prior to 6:00 p.m. the day preceding the normal collection day.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 16).
Full Breakdown
City Code § 54-33(e) guarantees curbside recycling service to every dwelling unit that already receives city solid waste collection, and § 54-35(a) supplies the mechanism: a city-owned blue recycling bag made available to residents as part of the program, collected manually rather than by automated cart. Section 54-32(j) and (k) require recycling bags to be placed within five feet of the street edge and prohibit setting them out before 6:00 p.m. the day preceding the scheduled collection day, mirroring the rule for garbage carts. Section 54-32(m) lets residents bring qualifying recyclables to the city transfer station free of charge if the material is properly sorted and uncontaminated.
Section 54-36(n) bars yard waste, bulk waste, medical waste, household waste or garbage from being placed in recycling bags, keeping the recycling stream clean, and § 54-65(d) prohibits stacking recycling containers on top of or in front of city-provided trash carts. Section 54-34(b) protects the collection system itself by making it a violation for anyone not designated by the sanitation department to remove or interfere with a recycling container or its contents, addressing theft or scavenging of set-out recyclables.
Violations & Fines
Interfering with or removing recyclables from a container without sanitation department authorization is a violation under § 54-34(b). Contaminating a recycling bag with yard waste, bulk waste or garbage violates § 54-36(n). Both fall under the general penalty of § 54-30(c): a misdemeanor fine of up to $250.00, with each day of a continuing violation a separate offense, and the sanitation superintendent authorized to cite responsible parties to municipal court.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does every Jonesboro household get curbside recycling?
What can't go in my Jonesboro recycling bag?
When can I put my recycling bag out for pickup?
Is it illegal for someone to take items out of my recycling bin?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Jonesboro
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