Greenwood, IN Trash & Recycling: Recycling Rules (2026)

Greenwood's solid waste contract, funded through the Waste Management Fund under Sec. 6-311, splits residential collection into trash and recyclables across Sec. 6-310 through 6-319. Sec. 6-314, 'Recyclable Materials,' requires that recyclable materials be separated from trash and placed in an appropriate container at curbside, but not in the street, timed to the same collection day as trash or the day before or after. Sec. 6-315, 'Containers,' tells residents to use the containers the contractor provides and to set them out no earlier than 24 hours before the scheduled pickup; the contractor can refuse to collect recyclables that are 'improperly prepared' after giving the resident notice, and can likewise refuse trash bags beyond the five-bag, thirty-gallon weekly limit set in Sec.

6-313 (properly prepared recyclables do not count against that bag limit). Once materials are out at the curb, Sec. 6-316 makes them the contractor's property; only the contractor or the resident may take them back, and anyone else who removes curbside recyclables, a common problem with scrap-metal or cardboard scavenging, faces a $25 civil penalty per incident. Sec. 6-317 backs that up by letting the contractor sue a violator directly for taking recyclables, on top of any other penalty. A resident can still donate or sell their own recyclables to a charity instead of setting them out, which Sec. 6-318 expressly preserves.