Fort Worth, TX Trash & Recycling: Recycling Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Trigger
- complexes with 8+ dwelling units
- Plan must describe
- materials, method, storage, pickup frequency
- Plan must include
- diagram of container locations
- Implementation deadline
- 30 days after director approves plan
- Waiver available
- if impossible/impractical or no tenant interest
- Penalty
- misdemeanor, up to $2,000/day, § 7-416
Summary
Landlords of Fort Worth multifamily complexes with eight or more units must file and carry out a written recycling plan under City Code § 7-411(c), spelling out materials collected, container placement and hauler pickup frequency. Skipping the plan is a misdemeanor citywide under the multifamily article's enforcement section, punishable up to $2,000 with each day counted separately.
(c) Recycling. (1) Requirement to submit a recycling plan. The landlord of each multifamily dwelling complex with eight or more units must submit a recycling plan in accordance with the following provisions. a. The plan must describe the materials to be recycled, the method of collection and storage of recyclables, and the frequency of pick-ups by an approved waste hauler. The plan shall also include a diagram of the property showing the location(s) where containers for the collection of recyclable materials will be placed. (2) Implementation of a recycling plan. a. The landlord of each multifamily dwelling complex with eight or more units must implement the approved recycling plan within 30 days of approval of the plan by the director. It shall be a violation for a landlord to fail to implement or comply with the specifications of the approved recycling plan for the complex. b. A waiver of the requirement to implement a recycling plan may be granted at the discretion of the director if the landlord can demonstrate that implementation of a recycling plan is impossible or impractical or if the landlord can demonstrate that none of the tenants at the complex wish to participate in recycling.
Full Breakdown
Section 7-411(c) requires the landlord of any multifamily dwelling complex with eight or more units to submit a recycling plan describing the materials to be recycled, the collection and storage method, hauler pickup frequency, and a site diagram showing where recycling containers will sit. Complexes already operating had a 2014 filing deadline; new complexes must file within 60 days of receiving a certificate of occupancy. Once the director approves a plan, the landlord has 30 days to implement it, and failing to implement or follow the approved plan is itself a stated violation. The director can waive the whole requirement at his discretion if the landlord shows implementation is impossible or impractical, or that no tenant at the complex actually wants to recycle. This recycling duty sits alongside other Article IV multifamily standards in the same section, including pet microchip/spay-neuter compliance and CPTED crime-prevention inspections for complexes of the same size.
Violations & Fines
Article IV's own enforcement section, § 7-416, makes any violation a misdemeanor punishable by a fine up to $2,000 under § 1-6(c), with each separate occurrence or each day a violation continues counted as its own offense; failing to perform a required act, such as filing or implementing the recycling plan, is expressly treated as a violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does my Fort Worth apartment complex have to recycle?
Can a landlord get out of the recycling plan requirement?
What happens if a landlord ignores the plan?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Fort Worth
Texas rules heatmap·Compare Fort Worth to another location·View the Texas trash & recycling overview
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