Auburn, AL Trash & Recycling: Recycling Rules (2026)

Auburn's solid waste chapter treats recyclable materials as part of the same weekly curbside system as household trash. Under Code of Ordinances Sec. 20-23, "Frequency of service," residential garbage collection happens once per week, and the code specifically extends that same once-a-week removal schedule to recyclable materials, provided they are placed in front of the owner's or occupant's premises but behind the curb and within three feet of it. Households that put recycling out anywhere else, such as farther from the curb or mixed in with prohibited materials, risk it being left uncollected until the next scheduled week.

The broader solid waste rules that surround Sec. 20-23 reinforce how the city expects containers to be handled: Sec. 20-2 requires a sufficient number of covered garbage cans or containers per dwelling unit and bars hazardous material, broken glass, sharp metal, or hypodermic needles from being placed loose in bags rather than sealed containers, standards the solid waste department applies across both trash and recyclable collection. Sec. 20-24 sets placement rules by property type: residential containers go near the back entrance in plain view on the designated collection day unless the resident has arranged cart service or a different agreement with the director of solid waste, while collection personnel are barred from entering houses, garages or porches to retrieve containers.

Sec. 20-9 separately bars businesses from depositing their trash, paper or recyclable waste material into public street or sidewalk receptacles maintained by the city. Enforcement and administration of the recycling schedule sits with the city's director of solid waste, who can approve alternative pickup arrangements under Sec. 20-2 and Sec. 20-24.